


"As Far as the Road Takes us"

by carl_solo



Series: "Learning How to Swim and Love" [2]
Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Action, Adventure some violence, Angst, Drama, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Strong Language, age difference relationship, and some smutty scene in several chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2018-11-29 20:56:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 53
Words: 244,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11448909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carl_solo/pseuds/carl_solo
Summary: This is the sequel to the (learning how to swim and love): I recommend that you read that one first.  It's been two years since Joel leave Jackson. Ellie live there the best way she can, but now that she is eighteen years old, she is determined to go out of Jackson to find Joel.  As the firefly are still looking for them, Ellie will be able to find Joel before they found him and be together again or fate are going to continue to keep them apart.  Read and find out, and I hope you liked.  Joel/Ellie.





	1. A place without Joel is not Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The people that like the first one.](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=The+people+that+like+the+first+one.).



> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are my invention. 
> 
> Warning: This Fiction story includes: some violence, age difference relationship, strong language, and some smutty scene in several chapters. If you don’t like these themes, please do not read this story thanks.
> 
> Hi, here is the second part of my first story; “learning how to swim and love”. I want to thanks all the people that read the first one I hope that some of you come back, and continue with the story. I still learning on all this so I hope the you like this one as much you like the first one, well to the one who liked, anyway. As I don't receive much comment to that one I don't how much people liked or not. But for the one who those and post comment, I give you all my thanks and hope that you enjoy this one too. Like the first one, the chapter are going to be post every Monday, so is going to be one chapter for week, if all go well and I don`t have any problem o delay.

**Chapter 1 : A place without Joel is not Home**

 

                                                                                      ***Prologue***

 

It’s August 25, 2037, almost the end of the summer now, early in the morning in the town of Jackson.  Ellie is awake, sitting on the edge of the bed in Joel`s room.  She hasn't been sleeping very well for the past month, having more nightmares of Joel lately.  So she decides to have some distraction, to get Joel out of her mind, but she fails.  Now she is holding an old guitar in her arms and moving her fingers, trying to play something... like she’s been trying to do for the past two years.

But even when Tommy tries to give her some lessons on how to play, she doesn't learn much, only the basics.  She doesn't have much interest in learning because she was hoping for Joel to do that, so having Tommy try to teach her wasn’t good for her.  She wanted to see the look on Joel’s face when she gave him the guitar on his birthday, but that day never came because he was gone before that.  She left the guitar in Joel`s room after she went to live with Tommy and Maria, but after a few months, when Ellie felt better, Tommy went and got the guitar from the old house and tried to teach her how to play.

That didn’t go well because it started to make Ellie sad again, so Tommy decided to take the guitar back to the old house and leave it there.  But now that she is back to live in the house that they shared together, she tries to play again when she can't sleep.  She just takes the guitar and tries to play a song, and tries to imagine him in the room with her.  Now is one of those days, so now she takes the guitar, puts it in her lap, and holds it with her hand, then starts to move her fingers on the guitar strings, trying to play and sing a song that Joel sang to her.  Joel sometimes sang to her after she had a nightmare, after they arrived at Jackson to live there for the rest of their lives. When she starts, some tears start to form in her eyes; thinking of Joel always does that.  Suddenly she stops when she hears a voice coming from the door of the room… His voice.

_“What are you doing, Kiddo?”_ says the voice.  

“I’m trying to play a song that you sang to me when I had a nightmare,” Ellie answers the voice like it’s routine.  

_“Did Tommy teach you how?”_ asks the voice.

“Well… he tried, but I don't think he was as good as you,” answers Ellie.

_“Yeah, he never liked to play the guitar too much, but he was always good at other things.”_

“You know the funny thing is that this was your birthday present, before you left, and you were the one that was supposed to teach me how to play,” says Ellie, looking at the guitar.

_“Yeah, I know, you’ve been telling me that like 100 times,”_ answers the voice with a little laugh.

“Why do you always stay in the doorway and never enter the room?” Ellie asks the voice, but not even looking at the door.

_“I think you know the answer to that question,”_ says the voice.

“Are you a ghost?” asks Ellie sadly.  “That’s why you never came back…”

_“That’s what you think I am?... You think I'm dead?”_ asks the voice curiously.

“No, but I don't know what to think anymore -- I don't know if all of this is real or I’m just dreaming.”

_“Why do you ask questions when you already know the answer?”_

“You said that you love me… but you abandoned me here.  Do you know how much that hurt?  Or how many times I’ve cried and had nightmares?  You’re supposed to take care of me.  You promised to stay with me and never leave.  If you had something to do, why didn’t you take me with you?” Ellie questions him with some tears forming in her eyes.

_“I don't know the answer to that,”_ says the voice.

“If you left because of what we did, you didn’t have to, because I love you.  Did you love me back?”

_“I do love you, kiddo, I said that in the letter I left for you, remember?”_ says the voice.

“Then why did you leave me?... Or why haven’t you come back yet?  Is it because of what you did in the hospital?” Ellie continues with the questions.

_“I can't answer you on that,”_ the voice says.

“Well, if it’s for that, I forgive you.  I know that what you did was wrong and selfish.  Killing all those people, and -- Marlene.  I don't know if I’m ever going to forget that, but if the alternative is losing you forever, I prefer to forgive you.” After Ellie says that and doesn’t receive an answer, she just turns her head to look at the door, but there’s nobody there.

“Fuck!... why is this happening to me, shit -- another few months of this and I'm going to end up going crazy.”  Then Ellie puts the guitar on the bed and looks at her right arm.  She starts to pass her hand over the watch she is wearing -- the watch that Sarah gave Joel, the one he loved so much.  He left it in one of the drawers in his room.  She thought that he left the watch for her so she could have something to remember him by.  She knew how much he loved that watch, because it’s the only thing he has left of his daughter.

But before he left, he took with him the one she bought him as a present for Christmas.  She thought that he took that one so he’d have something to remind him of her.  She keeps looking at the watch. _Please, Joel, come back... I need you, I can't take this anymore, I’ve tried to move on but I can't… so please just come back to me._ Then Ellie stands up from the bed, walks to Joel’s nightstand, and opens one of the drawers, looking for some clean clothes to change into, and she sees the note that Joel left her two years ago.  She picks up the note and and starts to look at it.   _I can't believe that it's been two years._ Then she moves back and sits on the bed again, staring at  the note in her hand and thinking of all the time that’s already passed.

I can't believe that Joel’s been gone for two years; the first few months, I was devastated.  After Tommy told me what Joel did in Salt lake City, I was in shock.  I didn't want to believe it.  I thought that Tommy was just lying, to prevent me from going after him.  But he explained how Joel told him and Maria a few weeks after we arrived... tears were falling out of my eyes, and then I just wanted to get out of the house.  I ran toward the clinic -- I needed to talk with the doctor.  I just needed to know the truth.  When I arrived, there was no one in the clinic, so I just stayed there to wait for the doctor.  A few minutes later he arrived with Maria and Tommy, and they explained everything to me, and I just cried.  Maria and Tommy took me to their house and put me in the guest room.  I just lost everything that day.

I did nothing for a few weeks... I just stayed in the room, lying in the bed.  Maria came from time to time to bring me food, and talk to me, but I just wanted to die.  After that, the doctor came to see me, and Maria brought someone with her:  a woman named Cynthia.  She was like 40 or 50.  Maria told me that she helped people with problems, and that she could help me.  Yeah… right, like someone can help me now, I just lost Joel and my hope for helping people to find the cure. Jenna came to visit a few times... she only wanted to help me, but at that time, I just wanted to be alone.  I started to have nightmares again, but this time not about David or his psycho brother -- they were about Joel.    

After a few months, Jenna came to see me more frequently and we started to talk.  I couldn’t tell her about what Joel did because I didn't know if I could tell her about my condition, at least not yet. But as she is the only one that knows about Joel and me, it helped a little.  She told me about Brad and her, that they are together now... that made me more sad.  I was happy for her, but that brought some pain for me.  Tommy and Maria were good; they tried their best to help me and get me back on my feet.  I can’t complain about that... I was starting to feel a little better at that time.   

But as the winter came, I started to feel bad again.  It was going to be the first Christmas without Joel since we started living in Jackson.  At that time, some things started to change in the town.  The trade town in Colorado worked out well -- the town got more medical supplies, and we gave them the help and food they need to survive. Albert continued to cause problems for what happened during the attack, and the fucking bastard continued blaming Joel and me for that.  Later, he started accusing Maria and Tommy of favoritism, because Joel was his brother.  What an ass!  Joel was gone, so what the hell more did he want?  Lucky for me, Tommy had enough of that and gave him 2 choices -- if he didn't like the way they do things in the town, he could go.  So he could either get out of town and take his son with him, or go to the trade town and work with the people that volunteered to go there to help. He chose to go to the other town, of course -- the coward wouldn’t have survived out there for long.       

After that, Maria named Harold the new man in charge of the security, as Carl continued with the trade route and the scavenger trips.  Some new people showed up at the gate during the winter, looking for help and a place to be safe.  So new members were added to the town that winter; lucky for the town, the repairs were finished before the winter, and no new attacks happened during that time.  By the time winter was over, Tommy and the construction group started to make a plan to reinforce the fence and make a complete metal wall around the town.  They used the vehicles to get to the old factory where Joel and I were held captive, and used the metal from the structure out there to make the wall.  Maria said that that would take some time, but it’s going to be good for the town, and that the new people can help with that.

When I turned seventeen, I started to sneak out of the town, trying to go and find Joel.  Of course, I didn't get far because Tommy ordered Dylan and Bob to keep an eye on me, and Bob always found me.  After a few times, Tommy and Maria told me that Joel’s chances of surviving out there were better if he thought that I was safe in Jackson and not out there, and that he promised Joel that he and Maria would take care of me.   _Yeah, like they’re good at keeping their promises._ But after that, I let them know that I was going to stop sneaking out, _of course, for the time being_.  As the time passed, I tried not to think much of Joel, but sometimes that was really hard, so I tried to concentrate on working again.  I started to work with Victor sometimes; he was always nice to me, and he taught me more Spanish, too.  I worked a little with Jenna’s mom in the greenhouse too.  Now the place is bigger than before; they made another greenhouse and put them together, so now there are 3 buildings.  But I decided to work more in the clinic; that way, I could finish my medicine study, so I can help Dr. Wilson more.

During  the summer, we suffered a few attacks from some bandits, but that was easy to control --  just a few wounded, so I had to help more in the clinic that time.  After that, I talked to Rose more.  Since Joel left, she never asked me about him again, and during the winter, she fell in love with one of the new residents.  They live together and they’re going to get married next year.  More time passed and I tried to distract myself more, so that way I didn't need to think of Joel, but that didn't help much.  I was always thinking of Joel: where is he, or what is he doing if he’s still alive?  I tried not to think much about that last one, because I know that Joel is alive out there somewhere.    

Tommy and Maria were happier then that I was getting out of the room and starting to work again, and trying to have a normal life... yeah, they treated me well, like I was their niece or something.  I tried to let them see that I was okay, but inside I was not -- I needed Joel… I would always need Joel… I love him no matter what he did, even though he was older than me.  I tried to tell him that, but he just didn't want to listen.  The next winter was cruel; we lost part of the planting and harvesting, a few of the horses too.  That was hard for Victor; he loved his horses.  After the winter, the town had to work hard to recover from the loss.   

Dylan would check on me sometimes.  If Joel could see him now… he acted like he was my big brother.  He always told me that he considered Joel like a father to him.  That made me laugh sometimes because if Joel was like a father to him, I was never going to be his sister.  That would just make me like his mother, if Joel and I ended up together somehow... yeah, I wanted to think that sometimes.

During the spring, four more families arrived in Jackson.  They said that they escaped from a slave camp in Texas.  That they were traveling for months after the slave camp was invaded by infected, and that they were lucky to escape.  Of course, they were quarantined and checked by Dr. Wilson.  After a few days of not showing any signs of contamination or sickness, Maria gave them welcome to the town... to the man, woman, and children.  A few weeks after that was my birthday.  After I turned eighteen, I told Tommy and Maria since I was an adult now, I wanted to go back to the house that Joel and I shared, and that I wanted to live in it.    

Of course, Maria tried to protest; she said that even though I was eighteen, I was too young to live alone, and that that was unnecessary because I had a place in their house.  I know that she just wanted me to stay there, and didn't want me to get back to the house where I was only going to have memories of Joel.  But I told her that I needed that, that I needed to be close to him in some way, that getting back to the house would maybe give me some peace.  In the end, they let me, but made me promise that I would keep working and not try to leave town, and that they would go and check on me every day... and they did.

The following week, one of them came to visit every day.  Dylan came too, and sometimes Bob and Harold.  Besides Tommy or Maria, Jenna was the other one that came to visit every day, sometimes with Brad and other times alone.  I preferred when she came alone; that way we could talk about things that nobody else knew.  After a month, I felt strange in the house.  It wasn’t the same without Joel in there.  I started to sleep in my room, but after a week, I went to Joel’s room and slept there.  Somehow I just tried to feel his presence, tried to imagine him with me in there... tried to remember the last time we were together, at that ranch.  Or the time we spent at the lake, where he taught me how to swim and where I finally understood how much I loved him.    

But a short time after that, I just started to have nightmares again.  Of course, I didn't tell Maria or Tommy because they would have wanted me to come back to their house, and I didn't want that.  I just wanted to be close to him, and being in the house was the best thing.  I only told Jenna when she saw me all stressed out sometimes and started questioning me, but I made her promise that she wouldn't tell anyone, and I told her I would be okay.  That it was only temporary, and it would pass, like the last time.  Of course, I knew that she didn't believe that, but she was always trying to help me.  I didn't know what I would do if I didn't have her as my best friend.  After that, I told her everything: my immunity, about my journey with Joel, that he was supposed to take me to the Fireflies to help them find a cure… all that we did before we got here. The only thing I didn’t tell her was the part about the hospital, what Joel did... I still have some problems dealing with that; even though in some ways I forgive Joel, it’s too hard to let people know that Joel condemned humanity just to save me, even after Dr. Wilson said that there was no way that they would have found a cure using me -- but we’re never going to be sure of that.     

This past month, I’ve been working a few hours with Maria, helping her with some of the things she needs to do.  Tommy asked me to help her after they came one day and gave me the good news.  After all this time of trying, finally Maria was pregnant.  They wanted me to be the first one to know (well, the second, because Dr. Wilson had to be the first), but that was great news.  I was happy for them.  Maria told me that she was two months pregnant, and Tommy was so happy that he was finally going to be a father.  Even with the new medical equipment, there was no way to know what genders the baby was going to be, so they had to wait until the baby was born.   _Wow, what is Joel going to say when he finds out?_  I'm sure that he’s going to be happy for them.       

A few weeks ago, the nightmares started to pass.  Not stop completely, but I don't have them as often as before.  But now I’m having problems with my sleep, and sometimes when I can't sleep well, I try to play with Joel`s guitar, and sing the song that he sang to me when I had nightmares after we started to live here.  But then I started to hear his voice in the doorway of the room, and sometimes I see him just standing there, talking to me.  He never enters, just talks to me.  I don't know how this happened or if I’m starting to go crazy.   _Maybe I need to do something..._ I don't know, but one thing is for sure: if I want to get my sanity back, I need to get Joel back.

  



	2. Listen to your heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie start to talking yo her friend, looking for a answer for whatever is happening to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 2 : Listen to your heart**

  
  


It is now 8:00 in the morning.  A few hours have passed since Ellie was sitting on the bed looking at the note.  So when she looks at the clock Joel has in the room, she realizes that she needs to go to change and prepare for work.

_Okay, today I work in the clinic, that is good because I have to talk with Dr. Wilson, about… well, all this.  I need an explanation on why I’ve been hearing and seeing Joel lately.  There has to be a logical reason for that.  There’s only two patients in the clinic, so there’s not going to be much work in there, and since Rose is on her honeymoon, wherever that is, after she married that guy that lives with her a few days ago,_ Ellie says to herself, then gets off the bed and walks to the bathroom.

After 20 minutes, Ellie leaves the bathroom and walks to the room to put on clean clothes to go to work.  When she is dressing herself, she hears some noise coming from downstairs.  

“Hello!  Who’s down there?” asks Ellie when she leaves the room.

“Oh, Ellie, it’s just me -- I just wanted to bring you something to eat before you go to the clinic,” answers Maria while putting some tupperware with food on the kitchen table.

“Oh, you don't have to do that, Maria, I can make my own food now.  After all, you’re the one to teach me how to cook now, remember?” says Ellie when she walks into the kitchen.

“Yeah, I know... it’s just… want to… never mind, I’ll see you later this afternoon, okay?” says Maria as she starts to walk out of the kitchen toward the front door.   

“Wait!  Is something wrong?  Are you having problems with the baby?  I mean, you’re 3 months pregnant, and sometime it gets difficult, so if you want to talk about it, I'm here,” says Ellie, trying to stop Maria from going.

“That is nice of you, Ellie.  I know that you are only eighteen, but you always were more mature for your age,” says Maria while she sits on the couch.

“Yeah, thanks for always understanding that.  So, now I know that you came here for something... not that I don't like you visiting, but you want to tell me why you’re here so early?” asks Ellie as she sits in a chair in front of her.

“Well… I’ve been talking with Tommy, and soon I’m going to need more help in the house.  He wants me to not do much hard work because he doesn't want anything to happen to the baby.  I know that he’s only exaggerating, but he wants someone to help me when the pregnancy starts to show more.  Since this is the first time, after so many tries, he just wants to be sure that everything goes okay.”

  “Well, I can understand his worry, and I think that that’s a good idea, but what does all this have to do with me?” asks Ellie curiously.

“Because we want you to be that person.  You are going to be like a cousin or big sister to the baby, so it’s a logical choice,” says Maria, smiling.

“I'm happy that you always think of me like family, but you know that I'm not Joel’s daughter, right?”

“Yeah, we know that, but you’re always going to be family to us no matter what, so what do you say?”

“So... what you’re asking me is that you want me to go back to live with you two again?”

“Yes!  You don't have to decide right now, just think about it, okay?  We’re going to need the help, and you don't need to be here all alone, and--” Maria stops when she realizes that she’s said too much.

“That’s what all this is about?  Because you two don't want me to be here alone?”

“No!  Ellie, it’s not that, but maybe it’ll be good for you to get out of this house, at least for a short time.”  

“Well, I'm happy here,” ( _a lie)_ “and I'm an adult now -- you and Tommy gave Joel and me this house, so since Joel’s not here, I think that the house belongs to me.  So if I want to live here alone, it’s my problem, okay?” says Ellie, standing up from the chair.

“Ellie, don't get mad -- that isn’t what we intended.  You need to realize that being in here alone and trying to stay close to what you think Joel left in here... it’s not going to help you move on.  We’re just trying to--”

“I don't need to move on, because I know that Joel is out there alive, and someday we’re going to be together again.”

“Sorry, I don't mean to say that Joel is-- we just want to you to be happy, as Joel would have wanted.”

“Yeah, but you two don't need to worry about that, I'm fine” ( _another lie)_ “and I need to go to work -- I'm late,” says Ellie, now walking toward the door.

“Okay, just think about it, okay?  I meant it when I told you that I'm going to need the help, and we want it to be you.”

“I will think about it, but right now I just have some other things to think about.  So thanks for the visit and the food... see you later then,” says Ellie as she opens the door and leaves the house.

  
  


***One hour later in the clinic***

  
  


When I arrive at the clinic, I put on my medical gown, which is just a white coat that was designed for the nurse to use in the clinic.  The doctor is with a patient in his office, so I decide to go and check one of the 2 patients that are here in some of the private rooms.  Lucky for everyone here, I cooled off a little after the conversation with Maria.  I know she and Tommy just want to take care of me, but sometimes I just want to explode.  I see Samantha working in the records room; this room is the place where Dr. Wilson keeps all the medical information for the people of Jackson.

Samantha is one of the new people that arrived in Jackson during the last winter, so Maria put her to work in the clinic to help.  She is 22 and good at organizing things; she is to marry a 35-year-old guy, and has a son that is five.  They are just a little family that wants to live in peace.  I start with Mr. Carlson:  he’s 42 and has some problems with one of his kidneys, so the doctor has him under observation.  He’s been here for 2 weeks.  The other one is Marlon:  he is 38 and works most of the time at the dam.  He came here with a fever a few days ago, so the doctor put him in the quarantine room, just in case he has some kind of virus.

When I finish, I go to the reception room and wait for the doc to finish with his patient.  After a few minutes, I see him come out of his office towards me.

“Ellie, glad that you came today -- did you check the patient's?” asks the doctor when he sees Ellie checking some papers on the front desk.

“Sorry, I got here a little late, but Maria came to the house, and I lost track of the time.  Who is the new patient that was in your office?” asks Ellie curiously.

“Oh, that was Amanda, she is one of the new citizen of the town.  She came because she thinks she is pregnant and wants to be sure.”

“Oh, wow, another one -- at this pace we’re going to need a nursery,” says Ellie, smiling.

“Well, that is true, maybe I’ll talk to Maria about it, but after the construction workers finish with the new operating room, I don't think there’s going to be materials for that.”

“Yeah, they’re using it all in the construction of the new wall.”

“Yeah, hmm did you check the patient's?”

“Yes, no change on them, and I think that Marlon’s fever is getting worse.”

“Well, that’s not good, that means that everything I’ve been giving him isn’t working.”

“Well, I hope that’s not something bad, eh… Dr. Wilson, can I speak with you in private for a few minutes?” asks Ellie, standing up from the desk.

“Sure, come to my office,” says the doctor and starts to walk in the direction of his office, with Ellie in tow.

“Okay, Ellie, what’s bothering you lately?” asks the doctor as soon as he sits and Ellie does the same.  

“I can't sleep well, for starters.  I’ve been having nightmares again for the past month, and… I know that you’re not going to believe this… but I’ve been hearing voices, too,” Ellie starts to explain.

“Voices?  What kind of voices?” asks the doctor.

“Well, it’s just one… Joel`s, and sometimes I see a shadowy figure in the doorway.”

“You mean like a ghost? That’s what you’re trying to say?”

“No!  I don't think that it’s a ghost.  I don't believe that Joel is dead, it’s… I don't know what it is, that’s why I need you to check me out and see if something is wrong with me.”   

“Ellie, we all know that you miss Mr. Miller, but maybe it’s better if you talk with Cynthia.  I'm just a doctor, not a psychiatrist, and from what I can see, this is a mental issue.”

“No!  This isn’t a mental issue… well, it is kind of, but it’s just so real... I just want to know if this has to do with the virus mutation in my brain.”

“Well, I don't know if I can help you with that.  Even if what you’re experiencing has to do with that, I can't do anything about it.  I don't have the right equipment for that.”

“But what about all the stuff we’ve been exchanging with that town in Colorado?”

“Yeah, we received some new machines that we can use, but nothing on the scale to scan your brain, so that is out of the picture,” says the doctor.

“So you just think that I'm crazy?” says Ellie, standing up from the chair.

“No!  I don't think that you are crazy, but I know that missing Joel is affecting you.  Look, I know that he was important to you, that’s why this is too hard for you, and--”

“That’s the same thing that Maria said -- did she tell you to tell me that too?” says Ellie with an accusatory tone.

“No!  Maria didn't tell me to tell you anything, but we all know that this is hard for you.  Ellie, you have a great future here… you’ve learned a lot in the past two years, and I’m sure that Joel wants that for you,” says the doctor, then he stands up from the chair and moves closer to Ellie.  

“Why does nobody understand that I’m never going to forget him?  He was the only one that made me feel like I belong somewhere, and now he’s gone and I don't know what to do,” says Ellie with some tears forming in her eyes.

“Ellie, we know that you miss him, and that you even made your peace with all he did in the past. But maybe it’s time to let go.  It’s what he would have wanted you to do, just continue and try to have a normal life,” says the doctor, now hugging her hard.  

“I don't know if I can do that, but thank you for all the things you’ve done for me,” says Ellie, breaking the hug.

“Well… I think that you can if you want to, and I know that you’re going to be okay.  I’ll tell you what: take the rest of the time that you have here and go do something fun with your friends, okay?” says the doctor, pushing her out the door.

_That’s the problem -- I don't want to._ “Okay, thanks, doc.  See you Wednesday then,” says Ellie while she leaves the doctor’s office.

  
  
  


***Two hours later in the greenhouse***

  
  


After Ellie leaves the clinic, she walks for a little while through the town.  She needs to think about what to do.  She needs to talk to someone, and the only person that she can trust is Jenna, so she starts to walk toward the greenhouse.

“Hello!  Is somebody here?” asks Ellie as soon as she enters the building.

“Ellie, is that you?” answers Jenna from the other part of the greenhouse.

“Yes it’s me,” answers Ellie, moving toward where Jenna is.

“Well… well… well, glad that you decided to give me the honor of your presence.  I haven't seen you all week,” says Jenna, walking now toward Ellie.

“Yeah… sorry about that… I just haven’t been sleeping well lately,” answers Ellie, a little tired.

“Oh, come here, it’s okay, girl, I know all this has been hard for you, but I thought that you were getting better after you got back to--” says Jenna while she gives Ellie a big hug, but separates when she senses Ellie’s sadness. “Okay, girl, start talking and tell me what’s wrong?”

“What makes you think that something is wrong?” says Ellie, moving away a little.

“Well, for starters, I’ve known you for 3 years, and second, I'm your best friend, remember, and I think after all that I know you well enough to see when something is bothering you.”

“Yeah, I forgot that I can't hide anything from you,” says Ellie with a little smile on her face.

“So… you going to tell me why you’re not in the clinic or helping Maria?  Or do I have to start to guess -- and you know I'm good of that,” says Jenna, trying to make Ellie feel better.

“Is your mother here?  Or your boyfriend?” says Ellie, walking to a chair nearby and sitting.  

“No, my mom went with Carl`s group on the trade trip this week, and Brad is teaching the new recruit in the fields, so he’s not going to be here for a few hours.  So that means that whatever’s happened to you must have to do with Joel... hmm.”   

“Please don't say it like that,” says Ellie with a sad expression.

“Like what?” Jenna asks while she sits beside her.

“Like he is a bad person.”

“Well… after all the things you told me about him, and all that happened here with you--”     

“I still love him!  I thought you understood that,” says Ellie, not looking at her.

“Yes, I understand that, and that’s why I'm a little mad about all this, because he left after he said that he loves you, and broke your heart.”    

“I know that he didn't do that on purpose.  I know that he loves me.  He was just trying to protect me, and not thinking that by doing that, he was going to...”

“Hurt you?... Ellie, I know what he meant to you.  I even tried to help you with that.  But after 2 years of seeing you suffer for that, I don't know if I’m ever going to understand that.  But I’m always going to support you no matter what, okay?” says Jenna, taking Ellie’s hand in her own.

“Thanks… I always know that I can count on you,” says Ellie, looking at her now.

“Okay, so now you’re going to tell me what’s going on with you.”  

Ellie starts to tell Jenna everything about how much she is missing Joel, and that she’s been sleeping in Joel’s room just to feel his presence.  She knows that Jenna is going to think that that is stupid, but Ellie doesn't care about that much.  She tells her about the nightmares again, and when she gets to the part where she is hearing his voice even while she’s awake, she knows that Jenna is going to think that she’s going crazy.

“Okay, so you’re telling me that you think you’re hearing his voice in the room?” asks Jenna, a little suspicious.

“I don't think that I'm hearing his voice, I just told you that I do, just like he’s talking to me.  I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true.  I just don't know why, or if it’s real or not.”

“Ellie, you’ve been suffering a lot, and maybe that situation with Joel is playing with your mind.  Did you talk to anyone about this?”

“Yes, I just talked to Dr. Wilson this morning and asked if this has something to do with the mutation in my brain.”

“And what did he say?”

“Not much, he thinks that it’s just stress or something psychological.  I just don't know what to think anymore.”

“Well, I think that you should talk to Maria or that woman… what is her name…”

“Cynthia!” answers Ellie.

“Yeah, her.  I think that she can help you, Ellie.  I know that this is hard... I know how much you loved Joel.  But you need to get some help to get past all this -- look at how this is affecting you!  So promise me that you’re going to talk to Maria and Tommy about all this.  I don't like seeing you like this.”

“Okay, I promise that I will talk to Maria about this, I just need a little time.”

“Great, now that all of that is resolved for now, maybe a little good news can cheer you up,” says Jenna, smiling.

“What good news?” asks Ellie a little curiously.

“Well, I was going to tell my mother first, but since she’s not here, I can tell you first then.”

“Tell me what first?”

“Brad and I are going to get married!”

“What!... shit, really? When?” Ellie starts with the questions.

“Well, we don't know the day yet but he said that he wanted to do it after the next Christmas, maybe in February or March.  He wants to talk with my mom first, before we decide.”

“Wow, I think that’s great, congratulations,” says Ellie, getting close to Jenna and hugging her.

“Thanks!  He proposed yesterday.  It wasn’t very romantic, but he gave me a ring and everything.  I was so happy.”

“Yeah, I'm glad for you two, I know that he is going to make you happy.”

After that, Jenna and Ellie talk for a while until Brad shows up with the other people he was training.  Ellie gives hugs to both of them and says that she needs to go help Maria with some of her things, and that she’s going to see her tomorrow.  After that, she goes out of the greenhouse and lets the couple be together.

 

(a few hours later)

After Ellie leaves the greenhouse, she goes to Maria and Tommy’s house, since Tommy was at the dam doing some inspection.  Ellie helps Maria with some of the tasks she needs to do for the rest of the day.  When they finish, Maria prepares something to eat and they talk a little during the dinner.  Maria never talks about the conversation they had in the morning, and Ellie is thankful for that.  

When they finish, it’s almost 7:00pm, so Ellie says goodbye to Maria and tells her that she’s going home. _Home!_ _There is no home without Joel,_ she tells herself while walking to the house.  After she arrives at the house, she goes upstairs.  Since she already ate, there is nothing to do in the house, there is nobody here… she is all alone, so she decides to go to bed early.  

Ellie goes to the bathroom and takes a shower.  She stays there for an hour.  When finished, she gets out and goes to her room, puts on her night clothes, and sits on her bed.  She thinks about staying there, even when she wants to go to Joel’s room and sleep in his bed.  She wants to have those wonderful dreams she had before he left... she and Joel, laying in the bed, making love.  She still has a good memory of the little farm in the forest, when she and Joel had that wonderful moment.  When she felt so loved.  

Ellie moves and lays in her bed for the first time since she came back to the house.  It feels strange, so lonely, so she closes her eyes for a moment, trying to imagine Joel beside her, but... nothing.  After one hour, as she’s looking at the ceiling, unable to sleep, she hears a voice.

_“What happened, kiddo, can’t sleep?”_ asks the voice.

“Fuck!... this again?” answers Ellie, putting one hand on her face.

_“You should try the other room, maybe you can sleep better there,”_ the voice continues.

“Fuck, Joel, why are you doing this to me, it’s not fair,” says Ellie, trying not to look at the door.

_“You think I’m doing this to you?”_ asks the voice.

“If it isn’t you doing this, then who else?” answers Ellie, a little frustrated.

_“Why do you always ask questions when you already know the answer?”_  says the voice.

“Because this is starting to get a little annoying, and the doc said that all of this is in my mind, because of you.  They want me to forget you, to move on, to start a new life -- they want me to give up on you,” says Ellie, still looking at the ceiling.

_“And is that what you want?”_ asks the voice.

“I don't know what I want or what to do… the only thing that I know is that after two years and all that you’ve done, I still want to be with you.  I can't think of anything else.  All that I see or think in my mind is all about you,” answers Ellie to the voice, and then she turns her head around and looks at the door -- and, like always, there’s nobody there.  Then she moves her head to look at the ceiling again, and after a few minutes, she hears the voice again.  

_“Then it’s time for you to start listening to you heart,_ ” says the voice, and then there’s silence again.


	3. Time to Say Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie is determinate to get out of Jackson to find Joel, so is time to convince Tommy and Maria to let her go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are my invention.

**Chapter 3 : Time to Say Goodbye**

  
  


***Two days later in Ellie and Joel’s House***

  
  


Ellie is sleeping in her room.  She decided that after the last time she heard Joel’s voice, it was strange she didn't have any nightmares after that, and doesn't hear the voice, either, so that’s a good thing.  After coming home from work last night, she was so tired that she decided to go to bed early -- not like she had much to do in the house alone anyway.   

She opens her eyes after hearing someone knock on the door at the front of the house.  The knock is so loud that it wakes her up.  She hears the knock again, harder this time, so she checks the clock in her room and sees that it’s 3:00 in the morning.  “Who the fuck is knocking at this time of the night?” says Ellie while she is starting to get up from the bed.  When she is walking toward the door of her room, she hears the front door of the house open and close. “ _Who can enter the house at this hour?_ says Ellie to herself, then she stops in front of her room and asks who is down there.  

“Tommy… Maria… is that you?” Ellie calls a few times, but nobody answers.  Then she starts to hear noises from the kitchen, so she asks who is down there, but again, nobody answers.  So she goes back in the room to one of the nightstands and takes her gun.  She checks to make sure the gun is loaded and goes back to the stairs, then she asks again who is there.  When she’s halfway to the stairs, she speaks again.  “Hey, whoever is in the kitchen, you better come out of there with your hands up!  I have a gun and I’m going to shoot at the first person who comes out that I don't know,” says Ellie, pointing her gun at the entrance of the kitchen.  

“Hello, kiddo!... I hope that you’re not going to shoot me, right? ” says the man now standing in the kitchen entry.

“...JOEL?... is that really you?” says Ellie with her eyes wide open.

“Yes, baby girl, it’s me, I'm back!” says Joel, moving closer to the stairs.

“Joel… oh my God!” says Ellie, dropping her gun and starting to run downstairs and jump on him.

“Wow… wow, take it easy, kiddo, I'm not young anymore, you know, and I can see that you’re a little bigger now,” says Joel, catching her and grabbing her leg so she doesn’t fall down.   

“Joel, where the fuck have you been?  You left me here alone and you didn’t even say goodbye,”  says Ellie, putting her arms around his neck and burying her face in his chest, starting to cry.  “I missed you so much, and you don't have any idea how much that hurt.”

“I'm so sorry that I hurt you, but I had to go -- there was something I had to do to keep you safe,” says Joel, hugging her tight.  

“You don't know... how much this affected me, you breaking your promise and... I love you, Joel… I still love you so much!” says Ellie, moving away from his chest and looking him in the eyes.

“I know, kiddo… I love you too, and I’m sorry for leaving you here,” answers Joel.

“Joel, we’re going to have a serious conversation about all this, okay… but for now, I need to do something first.”  Then Ellie just moves forward and plants a deep kiss on Joel’s mouth.  “I’ve been waiting to do this for two years.”

The kiss goes deeper as soon as Joel gets over the shock and starts to kiss her back.  They are there in the middle of the living room, expressing their feelings, when they hear an explosion outside.  They break the kiss; Joel puts Ellie down and starts to look at the door.   

“What the hell was that?” asks Ellie as soon as she touches the floor.

Soon after that, they can hear gunshots and people screaming.  Joel moves quickly to one of the front windows to see what is going on out there.  Ellie starts to walk toward him when the chapel bell starts to sound and more explosions can be heard.

“Go upstairs and get the guns... quick!” Joel orders her when he moves away from the window.  

“This is an attack?  We haven't had any since last year, and how’d they get inside so fast?” Ellie says, moving slowly toward Joel.

“Those motherfuckers followed me… shit, how could I be so stupid?”

“Joel!... What do you mean by that?  Who’s following you?” Ellie starts to ask, now a little nervous.

“That doesn't matter now, Ellie, just go upstairs and get some guns… NOW!” says Joel while he moves to the kitchen, where he has his things.

Ellie runs up to her room to get some of the guns that she has there.  Joel starts to look for his gun that is in his backpack, then he hears someone shooting at the house, and then the front door gets opened violently.  He gets his gun and shoots at the first man that comes into view, then when he starts to move to the living room, another group of men enter through the kitchen door.

He is surrounded in seconds -- there were too many for him to do anything, and all of them have machine guns.  So he doesn't have any choice; he just puts his hands up, and one of the men takes his gun out of his hand.  Gunshots and screams can be heard from outside the house.  One of the men pushes him into the living room when an old man enters the house, his hands on his back.

Ellie is at the top of the stairs, hiding behind one of the walls.  None of the men surrounding Joel seem to be moving toward the second floor, so she stays there, thinking about what to do.

“Well… well… do you really think that you’re going to betray us, and we’re not going to find you?” says the old man, getting close to Joel.

“How did you find me?” says Joel.

“Well, I still have my resources… so now let's start with the fun part:  where is the girl?”

“You are wasting your time -- she’s not here, and the people of this town are going to kill you and all your men,” says Joel with a mad expression.  

“Is that so?  Right now, my men are taking control of this stupid town, and soon we’re going to find her, so why not make this easy -- give us the girl and we’ll leave.  That’s all I want.”   

“Yeah right, why don’t you just go fuck yourself.”

“Oh, c`mon, we don't need to be so rude… just tell me where the girl is and we’ll just go.”  

“You are crazy if you think I’m going to help you.”

“Last chance.  Tell me where the girl is or I’ll blow your head off,” says the man, pointing his gun at Joel’s face.  “No!  Okay, have it your way, then.”

“Noooo!... Please don't kill him -- I'm the one you’re looking for… so please, just let him go,” says Ellie, dropping her gun and starting to go downstairs.    

“See, I always get what I want.  You should know that before you betray me.”  Then he pulls the trigger, killing Joel in front of Ellie.  

“NOOOOOO!”  Ellie opens her eyes and sees that she is in her room.  Her heart is beating like a thousand miles a minute.  She is all sweaty, and when she looks at the clock, it’s just 2:00 in the morning.

“Fuck!... another nightmare.”  Then she puts her head back on the pillow and puts one hand on her face.  

  


***Later that morning***

  
  


Ellie gets out of bed early in the morning.  She feels tired; after the nightmare, she could not sleep. _Okay, it’s time to do something, I can't wait any more, I need to find Joel,_ says Ellie to herself, then she starts to get out of bed, and goes to the bathroom to wash herself and put on some clean clothes.  

(One hour later in Victor’s stables)

“Estas bromeando chica? Tommy me mataria si hago eso,” says Victor while sitting at his desk in the little office he has close to the stables.

“Oh, c`mon!... eso no va hacer un regalo… I'm going to pay for it,” says Ellie, trying to speak a little Spanish to the man.

“Eso no importa, ya sabes que él prohibió que tu salgas. Look, I like to help you, but you need to talk to Tommy and Maria about this.”

“Look, I'm going to do that as soon as I can, but I just need to be sure that I can have the horse, okay?  Mira yo crié a lucky desde que nació, y tu dijiste que podía ser mío cuando creciera, umm how do I say this in Spanish? Oh… No te preocupes, yo pagaré por la montura y todo lo demás,” says Ellie.

“Well I can said that you spanish is getting good. Pero darte el caballo no es el problema, además de que es una locura ir aya fuera sola… Tommy and Maria not going to like that.”

“Well, you don't worry about that, Yo hablar con ellos, tu solo ten el caballo listo para manana, okay?” says Ellie, walking out of Victor’s office.   

_Shit! I hope that this is not going to be a problem.  Telling this to Maria and Tommy is going to be hard, but they need to understand that I need to do this.  Now I have to go and talk to Jenna before she finds out for herself._ Ellie is thinking what to do next as soon as she gets out of Victor’s office.

After half an hour of walking, Ellie arrives at the greenhouse.  She opens the door and enters.  When she does that, Ellie starts to call Jenna to see if she’s there.   

“Hello!... Jenna, are you in here?”

“No, she's not here,” answers Brad, coming out of Jenna`s mom’s office.

“Brad!... it’s nice to see you.  Do you know where she is?  I need to speak with her.”

“She’s back at her house.  She didn't feel well this morning, and as her mother hasn’t come back yet, I told her to stay in bed,” says Brad, getting close to Ellie.

“Oh, so she’s sick?” asks Ellie.

“Well, she said that it’s nothing serious, but she didn't look well this morning when I came from seeing her.  So I told her to stay and I’ll work with the new people here.”

“Oh, okay then...so it’s better if I go to her house and see her.  Thanks for letting me know.  See you,” says Ellie to Brad and then turns and walks toward the front door.

“Okay, tell her that everything is okay here.”

“I will…” says Ellie while she’s walking out the door, and then she turns around.  “By the way, congratulations on the wedding thing.  I know that you and Jenna are going to make a great couple.”

“Thanks!” answers Brad, then he turns around as soon as Ellie is gone to get back to work.

After Ellie leaves the greenhouse, she starts to walk to Jenna’s house.  She needs to say goodbye to her.  She is her best friend, so she deserves that much, at least.  Of all the people she is going to miss, she’ll miss Jenna the most.  After ten minutes, Ellie arrives at Jenna’s house.  The house is close to the greenhouse, so it doesn’t take much time to get there.  Ellie knocks on the door as soon as she gets to the house, and she hears Jenna telling her to come in.

As soon as Ellie enters the house, she hears Jenna tell her that she is in the kitchen, so Ellie moves there quickly.

“Hey!... what are you doing here, aren’t you supposed to be in the clinic today?” asks Jenna, moving some cookware.

“Yeah, I plan to go there later.  I need to talk to Dr. Wilson, but first I need to talk to you.  Brad tells me that you’re sick, are you okay?” asks Ellie, getting close to Jenna.

“Yeah I'm fine, I just threw up a couple of times this morning, but I’m okay, Brad just exaggerates things.”

“Are you sure?  I can check you out if you want.  I'm a nurse apprentice, remember!” says Ellie, touching Jenna’s forehead to see if she has a fever.

“I'm okay now… really… so what is it you want to talk about?” asks Jenna, walking around the side of the kitchen table.

When Ellie sits at the table, she starts to talk to Jenna and starts to explain what she’s going to do, and after 20 minutes, Jenna gets up from the table and looks at Ellie.

“Are you crazy?  You’re going out there alone just to try to find Joel -- are you serious?” says Jenna.

“I know that it sounds crazy, but I have to do it.  If I stay here much longer I’ll go crazy.  I know that no one is going to understand, but I need to find him.  I need some answers, and the only way to get them is by finding Joel.”

“Ellie, I know that you still have some feelings for him, but going out there alone is… is just crazy,” says Jenna, looking directly at Ellie.

“I know that this is a little crazy, but you’re the only one that knows how I feel about him.  I know that you’re worried about me… and I thank you for that.  But I need to do this, and as my friend, I want you to understand.”

“I understand to a point, and I know that no matter what I say, you’re going to go anyway.  I don't think that I can stop you, but you really think that Tommy and Maria are going to let you go?”

“I will talk to them, and I know that they’re not going to like it, but they can’t stop me.  I'm eighteen now, so that makes me an adult, and this is not a prison, so they have to let me go.”

“Yeah… maybe you think that all of this is right, but you’re still a girl, and going out there is just going to get you kill--”

“I survived out there for almost a year, so I think that I’m going to be all right,” Ellie says, standing up from the table.

“Yeah, but you were with Joel -- now it’s not the same, Ellie,” says Jenna, moving close to Ellie.

“I was just fourteen back then and I’ve learned a lot since then.  I know that you worry about me, but don't -- I’ll be alright, I promise.  I need to find him, I just… need to do this,” says Ellie after she moves and gives Jenna a hug.

“Okay… I’m just going to miss you so much, so please be careful out there,” says Jenna with some tears in her eyes.

“I will... and thanks for everything you’ve done for me.”

After Ellie gets out of Jenna’s house, she goes to the clinic to talk to the doctor.  It is afternoon when she finishes.

_Of course the doc was going to tell me not to do this… it’s like all of them are going to try to stop me from going.  Well, the ones I know, of course, because the rest don't give a shit.  Some of them are going celebrate, I’m sure of that.  Some of them celebrated after Joel left, especially Albert, but I'm glad that he is gone now, he was lucky that Joel didn't kill him.  After the doc, I don't need to go and find Tommy and Maria -- I know that they are going to come to the house as soon as I get back.  So I’d better go then, and start preparing the things I need._

 

(Later, in Joel’s house)

After half an hour, Ellie arrives at the house and goes upstairs to get all the things ready.  As she predicted, Tommy and Maria arrive soon after she starts packing her things, so now the battle begins.

“NO!... absolutely not, you’re not going anywhere, do you hear me?” says Maria, almost screaming.  

“This is not for you to decide!  I'm an adult now, and you can't hold me here if I don't want you to,”  says Ellie, almost yelling too.  

“Oh, yeah, you’re eighteen now… so you think that you’re old enough to make a decision like this,” says Maria.

“Ellie, you can't go out there -- you of all people know how dangerous it is.  Even though you are eighteen, you’re not going to make it out there alone.  Joel left me in charge of you so you could be safe -- that’s why he wanted you to stay here,” says Tommy, now entering the discussion.  

“Look, I get all that, and I’m really glad the both of you try to keep me safe because Joel told you to, but it's been two years, and we haven’t had any news of him, and I can’t wait for him to come back anymore,” says Ellie with a sad face.

“Ellie, we understand that this has been hard for you for the past two years, but please be reasonable -- this is just crazy.  For starters, you don't know where he is or what he’s been doing all this time, not even if he stil--” Maria is interrupted before she finishes.

“He is alive, I know, and I can't stay here waiting anymore.  I need to go out there and try to find him, no matter what,” says Ellie, giving a hard look to both of them.  

“Ellie, we care about you, not only because Joel told Tommy to keep you safe, but also because we love you like family.  So we can't just sit here when you go out there where you can get killed.  I'm sorry, Ellie, but we can't to do that,” Maria says, trying to make Ellie understand the situation.

“Then, I'm sorry too, because I'm going.  It’s not like I don`t appreciate all you two have done for me, and Joel when he was here.  But I’m not going to sit here either, and wait for him to come back, or find out that he is--” Ellie is interrupted at the last sentence.

“Dead?... I love him too, Ellie, he’s my brother, but he’s always been like this -- trying to do the right thing but not seeing the consequences of it.  We know that Joel was everything for you, but you need to understand that it's been two years without any news.  And we need to accept the possibility that maybe something happened to him.  What he was going to do out there when he left... it was dangerous, so if he hasn’t come back here by now, it’s poss--” Tommy is interrupted.

“Don't finish that, Tommy, because I’m never going to accept that.  I know that he is alive out there somewhere.  You told me when he left about what he did in that hospital, and that you two think that he destroyed the possibility of a cure, by doing that.  But you also told me why he did it, and after two years of thinking about that, I feel like if I was in the same position, I would do the same for him.  And you know why?  Because I love him.  I know that you don't understand, but I need to go and find him -- it’s the only way I'm going to be in peace,” says Ellie with some tears in her eyes.

“Oh… Ellie, we understand that you love Joel that much, but going out there and getting killed is not going to change anything,” says Maria, standing up, getting close to Ellie, and hugging her.  

“And besides, you don't even know where he went, or where he’s been for the past two years. Joel gave me the task of taking care of you, so there’s no way we’re going to let you go out there alone--”

“She’s not going to be alone,” says Dylan as he enters the kitchen.

“Dylan, what the hell are you doing here?  And why don't you knock when you enter other people’s houses?” asks Ellie while she separates from Maria’s hug.

“I just did, several times, but nobody answered, and when I saw that the door was open, I just came in,” answers Dylan.

“For how long… were you standing there?” asks Maria, looking at Ellie.

“ I just entered, then I heard that Ellie was going outside alone… so don't worry if you were talking about something private, because I didn't hear anything.”

“I don't care what you heard -- what the fuck are you doing here anyway?” says Ellie, now a little furious.

“Sorry about that, I called him to come here.   As Joel’s friend, I just wanted him to help us convince you to stay, not the other way around,” says Tommy, a little confused.

“Great, that’s what I need, another person to come here and try to stop me,” says Ellie, walking towards the living room.

“I didn't come here to stop you.  When Tommy told me what you’re planning to do, he asked me to come and help him.  But like I said, I don't want you to go out there alone... so if you go, I’m going with you,” says Dylan, following her to the living room.

“WHAT!” say Tommy and Maria at the same time.

“You have to be kidding me -- you don't have any experience fighting out there, and you think you are going to protect Ellie?” says Tommy.

“I can fight -- I’ve been with Bob and Harold for the past two years and they taught me a lot, so don't worry, I can take care of myself,” says Dylan, protesting.

“Sorry, Tommy, I know that you and Maria try to do the best for me, but I'm going out and searching for Joel, so don't try to stop me, and you!  You’re not coming with me -- I don't need a babysitter,” says Ellie, pointing her finger at Dylan.

“Sorry, Ellie, but Joel gave me some instructions before he left, to protect you, so like it or not, I’m going with you,” says Dylan.

All of them stay quiet for a few moments; nobody knows what to say, until Maria breaks the silence.

“Okay, I know that I'm not going to like this, but if you want to go and try to find Joel, Dylan goes with you,” says Maria, looking at Ellie now.

“What!” say Ellie and Tommy at the same time.  

“Maria, have you lost your mind?  You just said that she can't go and now you said yes,” says Tommy, looking at Maria, not believing what she just said.

“I know that we want her to stay, to keep her safe, that it was what Joel wanted, and us.  But she is right on one point -- even if we tried to stop her, she’s going to try to escape again.  Dr. Wilson told me about the nightmares and her other issues, so maybe it’s better if we let her go.”    

“Maria, we can't do that, Joel gave me the task of keeping her here safe, and if we let her go--.”

“I know, Tommy, and I don't want to do this either,” says Maria to Tommy.

“Okay… okay, but if you want us to let you go, Dylan goes with you, that’s one of my conditions,” says Tommy, looking at Ellie now.

Ellie just stays there, thinking, while Tommy just looks at Maria, not believing what they’re going to do.  They’re going to send an eighteen-year-old girl out there with a twenty-seven-year-old guy.  All of them are in silence again, until Ellie speaks this time.

“What are the other conditions?” asks Ellie, looking at Maria now.


	4. What is Left out There Part-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since Ellie it decided to go after Joel, She and Dylan start the journey to go through the country and try to find him. But some problems are on the top list, on the new world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are my invention. 
> 
> A/N: Okay people, I know that a lot of the follower of the first story, are worry for he 2 years that Joel is gone from the first one. I can see now that that part is affecting the story, but let me tell you that is some reason for that. So I hope that the ones that read the first one, and the new ones, give this story a chance. The story is a little slow in the first chapters but is going to be some action in the follower one. So thank you, if all of you decided to give a chance to the story.

**Chapter 4 : What is Left out There Part- 1**

  


***The next morning***

  


Ellie wakes up early the next morning; she told Tommy and Maria that she wanted to go before most of the people wake up the next day.  So she went to bed after they finished with their conditions, and all that she needed to do to be safe, that made her really annoyed on some points.  But she barely slept when she went to bed; just thinking that she’s going out there to search for him was both a little scary and exciting.  Tommy told her that they were going to use the south gate because that one was away from the buildings and would be more discreet, so they’d have to be there at 8:00am.

Tommy and Maria laid out all the conditions -- like she needed to avoid the bigger towns and cities, and not to travel much on the main roads.  Also, that she needed to keep herself hidden and not use her real name, and that she needed to try to avoid other people and keep herself warm and dry.  The same speech was for Dylan too, plus that he needed to keep Ellie safe. After that, he went to his house, and Tommy and Maria finished talking to Ellie.  They stayed there for about two more hours.

So now it’s time to go.  All she needs for now is already packed (she did that after Tommy and Maria left).  She feels a little bad leaving Maria alone with her pregnancy.  Maria really wanted Ellie to help her, to be the big sister for the child.  Ellie really liked that; she hasn't had any family before, and now that she has some, she’s losing that, too.  Even though they are Joel’s family, she was part of that too, but without Joel, this is no longer her home.  So Ellie gets out of bed and goes to get her things, has something to eat, and goes to the stables.  She is lucky that she’s going to have a horse this time -- that way, she can take more things and not just her backpack.  

By the time she finishes, it’s 7:00am, so she takes her things, closes the door, and makes her way to the stables.  When she arrives, Tommy, Maria, and Dylan are there, as well as some of her friends, to say goodbye.  Dr. Wilson is there... Bob, Jenna, and Brad... also Jenna’s mom and Victor.  Some of them don't know the real reason for Dylan and Ellie going out, but they don’t need to know for now.  It’s better that way, Ellie thought.  While Dylan loads up the horses, Ellie starts to say goodbye to some of them, promising that she’s going to be okay and that she’s going to come back.  Tommy gives her a copy of a map with some points that Carl`s group have been mapping during their travels, so they can use that as a guide out there and avoid some danger zones.  

She tells Maria that she is going to try to come back before her baby is born, then she gives her a hug and tells her that she’s going to be fine. She thanks her for all the things she and Tommy did for her, and then moves toward Tommy and gives him a hug, too.  After she says goodbye to the doctor, Victor, and Claudia, she walks over to where Jenna and Brad are standing, and after she says goodbye to Brad, Jenna grabs her by the arm and separates her from the group.

“I still think that this is a stupid decision, but it’s yours to make... I just want you to promise that you’re going to come back.  I want you to be here for my wedding, okay?  It’ll probably be in March, so you have a lot of time to come back here,” says Jenna while hugging Ellie.

“I don't know what is going to happen out there... you know that, but I promise that I will try.  I know that you’re going to be happy.  Brad is a good guy and he’s going to take care of you.  I’m probably not going to be here when Maria gives birth to her baby so please help her with that if you can,” says Ellie with some tears now forming in her eyes.

“Be safe and always take care of yourself, okay, and come back soon,” says Jenna, then she lets go of Ellie. “Now go.”  

After they finish with the goodbyes, they mount the horses, and Tommy orders the guard to open the gate.  Ellie and Dylan start to move out of town, and a few minutes after that, the gate get closed.

“Do you think that she’s going to be safe?  Or find Joel?” Maria asks while she embraces her husband.

“I know that she’s going to be fine, and as for finding Joel... I think that those two are destined to be together,” says Tommy, hugging her back.

“I hope that we did the right thing,” says Maria with some tears in her eyes.

“Me too.”

 

(a few hours later on the road)

“Okay, I know that you didn't want me to come along, but since we’re stuck together, what is the plan?  This is a big country, you know,” says Dylan, moving his horse beside Ellie`s.

Ellie just keeps looking at the road, lost in thought.     

“Ellie!... Ellie!  Are you listening to me?.... ELLIE!” screams Dylan at Ellie.

“Fuck, man, don't you see that I'm thinking?  And stop calling me Ellie -- didn't you hear Tommy say that we can’t use our real names anymore?” says Ellie, looking at him.

“Okay… okay!  Jesus… so what is the plan?  Are we going to start looking in the little settlement that he marked on the map?” asks Dylan curiously.

“No!  I don't think that Joel is going to be in any of those, but I think I know who can help us.  We need to go to a place close to Boston,” says Ellie with a little smile on her face.

“Wow… Boston is pretty far from here, so who are you going to find there?”

“Someone call, Bill…”   

 

***Fall***

 

(Three months later)

Ellie is on her knees on the shore of a little river they found, cleaning the blood off her face.  The water is cool, but she needs to check the wound on her arm.  After she finishes with her face, Ellie rolls her sleeve up on her right arm to check the damage, then puts the arm inside the water to clean off the blood.  

“Fuck!... This is perfect -- just when my other one’s barely noticeable, I get a new one,” says Ellie to herself while she continues with the cleaning of the blood on the bite.

“Shit... we were lucky to get out of there alive -- I told you that entering that  town was going to be dangerous.  We almost got killed by those infected, and some of them got too close to you.  Ellie, are sure you’re okay?” asks Dylan, getting close to Ellie.

“Yeah…I--I'm fine, it’s just… just go and check the horses, and see if they’re okay,” answers Ellie while finishing the cleaning.

“The horses are fine, I just tied them to a tree, and… what the shit… Ellie, you-- you got bitten?”

“Shit… It’s okay, Dylan, it’s just--” Ellie is interrupted by Dylan panicking.

“Oh my God!... shit, Ellie... I'm so sorry, this was my fault… fuck, I never should’ve gone to that store.  Ellie, what are we going to do now… They’re going to--” Dylan stops talking when he sees Ellie standing up and starting to get close to him.

“Don't worry, nothing is going to happen, just relax, okay?” says Ellie, getting close to him slowly.

“Oh!.. shit, how much time do you have -- are you going to turn soon?” says Dylan, moving backward.

“Jesus, man, get a grip… I'm okay, see, I’m not going to turn… I’ll be okay -- well, except for another fucking scar,” says Ellie, walking closer to him.

“It’s going to feel better if you stay away from me, please... I don't want to be the one to do this… shit,” says Dylan while he gets his gun out and points it at Ellie.

“Wow!... wow… take it easy, man, and don't do anything stupid, okay, I'm not infected… well, I am, but not from today.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?  Please, just stay away, an-- and we can talk about how we’re going to do this… fuck, Tommy is going to kill me when I go back without you,” says Dylan, moving away from her and continuing to point his gun at her.

“Just calm down, Dylan, okay, and lower the gun… I’m not going to infect you, okay?” says Ellie with her hands in front of her, trying to calm him down.

“What do you mean that you’re not going to infect me -- you just said that you’re infected.”

“I'm immune, okay, the virus doesn’t have an effect on me -- if you calm down and lower your gun, we can sit and I can explain all this to you, okay?”   

“I don't understand... what the hell is going on here?” says Dylan, a little confused.

“I know, just please, put the gun down and I will explain everything, okay, but first we need to get out of these bloody clothes and get cleaned up.  It’s going to be night soon and we need to prepare a camp for tonight,” says Ellie, moving close to the horses to get her backpack.  

After Ellie finds another set of clothing and some bandages, she moves back to the river, a little far away from Dylan, and starts to undress out of her bloody clothes.  Dylan goes and does the same at another part of the river.  When they finish, they come back to the horses and start to prepare a camp for the night.  

One hour later, the camp is finished.  A little fire is in the middle of the camp and two sleeping bags are on the opposite side of the fire.  Ellie starts to explain to Dylan why she is not affected by the virus.  Of course, she only tells him what he needs to know; there are some things that she can’t say.

“Let me get this right: you got bitten four years ago, and the virus mutated in your brain, and now you can't get infected?” asks Dylan with curiosity.  

“Well, I’m still infected, it’s just that I can't turn or infect other people,” Ellie tells him.

“Shit!... that’s cool, are there other people like you?” asks Dylan.

“I think so.  Joel told me once that there’s supposed to be others, but I don't know if there are any alive, or where.”  

“Wow…. why don’t the people of Jackson know about your condition?  At least the doc should know, right?” says Dylan, looking at her.

“Yeah, the doctor knows, and Tommy and Maria, and I told Jenna last year too... they are the only ones that know my condition, and now you.”

“Well, maybe I can understand why you keep that secret -- most of the people of Jackson would freak out if they knew that an infected person lives with them.”

“Yeah, that’s why it’s better that they don't know, so now that you know, you can't tell anybody, okay?” says Ellie, looking at him seriously.

“Yeah, don't worry, your secret's safe with me.  So what’s next?  Going to that town close to Boston was a waste of time.  The guy that you were looking for wasn’t even there.”

“Yeah I was hoping that he was going to be there... he was the only person I know that maybe knows where Joel could be.”

“Okay… so we continue with the plan B?” asks Dylan.

“I guess so -- get the map, I want to know where the closest settlement is in this area,” says Ellie while Dylan goes to get the map.

“Okay, if the map is correct, the next outpost close to here is in Pennsylvania,” says Dylan, sitting back close to Ellie with the map in his hand.  

“Well, that’s a bit far away... that’s going to take us more than a week to get there, so it’s better to get something to eat and rest for today, and depart first thing in the morning,” says Ellie as she moves to prepare something to eat.

“Yeah, I’m going to organize the supplies we have and check what we need,” Dylan says as he moves toward the horses to get started.

By the time they finish, it’s already night, so they both go to their sleeping bags and get some rest. The night is a little cold, but both of them manage to sleep well.  They wake up first thing in the morning, get their things, and continue on their journey.

 

***Two weeks later in the state of Pennsylvania***

  
  


“What do you think?” asks Dylan while Ellie is looking at the outpost from the distance with the scope of her rifle.

“I'm not sure, but something’s not right here... it’s a small outpost, but they have only two guards at the entrance, and I don't see any watchtower or any guards patrolling the area.”  

“So what are we going to do now?”

“Shit… we need to think about this… where’s the next outpost?” asks Ellie, looking at Dylan.

Dylan stands up and opens his backpack, taking the map out and checking it. “The next one is in Indiana, and that’s going to take us like 3 weeks to get there.”

“Fuck!... we’re almost out of food, and we need information too,” says Ellie, standing up.

“If this place is controlled by hunters or bandits, I don't think they’re going to give us any of those things,” answers Dylan.

“I wasn’t going to ask them.  There have to be some of the original people that live in this place that we can ask.”

“WHAT!  You want to go in there?  Are you crazy?  We don't know if there are any survivors in there, or how many bad guys there are.  Going in there is just suicide,” says Dylan with a worried expression.

“I don't think they’re hunters.... they don't look like much, and bandits are easy to deal with,” says Ellie, walking toward the horses.

“Ellie... we must think this through:  risking our lives for a little food or information that we might find in there isn’t logical,” says Dylan, walking behind her.

When they reach the horses, a few shots can be heard coming from the outpost.  Ellie and Dylan turn around in the direction of the shooting sounds and then look at each other.

“We need a plan to get in there, before they don't leave anybody else alive in there,” says Ellie with a little smile.

“Shit, girl, you're are crazier than Joel was,” says Dylan, moving away from her and starting to look again at the camp.

After that, she explains her plan to Dylan.  She tells him some of the details, and when she finishes, Dylan doesn't look happy.  Ellie tells Dylan to watch the place and let her know if there’s any movement at the front gate, and that they’re going to wait until night to get the plan started.    

After that, she walks toward her horse to get the things she needs.  Ellie starts to reach into the horse bags. _Shit, where’s the smoke bomb I found in Bill’s place?_ she asks herself.

_“You know, getting killed ain’t going to resolve anything.”_ say the voice.

“Fuck!... not now… I thought... I was finished with this.  What do you want from me?” Ellie says in a low voice.

“ _What do you think I want from you?”_ says the voice.

“I don't know… yo-you are just part of my imagination, so why don’t you just go.”

_“You have to play smart, kiddo, or you ain’t going to make it.”_

“Just… GO!”

“Ellie, are you okay?” asks Dylan from where he’s standing.

“Yeah, sorry... I'm fine, thanks.” _C'mon, Ellie, you need to keep yourself together.  I don't need this right now,_ says Ellie to herself.

After a few hours, night starts to fall, so Ellie’s plans just get started.  Ellie sends Dylan down the hill toward the outpost while she gets in position to make her move.  When she’s in position, she sees Dylan approach the entrance of the camp, and she gets ready to do her part.  She only hopes that Dylan does his right, or he’s going to die soon.

“Hey... you -- stop right there,” says one of the men guarding the gate, pointing his gun at Dylan.

“Hi!  My name is Luke... I was just looking for a place to sleep.  I’ve been walking for two days and I haven’t found any place to get some rest.  Don't worry, I don't have any guns,” says Dylan while he approaches one of the men with his hands up.

“Hey Mike, look at this guy -- he thinks that this is a hotel,” says the man pointing at him with the gun, then he starts laughing.

“This is an outpost, right?” asks Dylan curiously.

“So!...”

“Well, there’s supposed to be some room here for people who travel through here -- for a price, of course,” says Dylan.  

“Really -- and what do you have for payment?  I don't see that you have much… not even a gun.”

“Well, I have some interesting things in my backpack, maybe you want to trade?”

“Hahaha… what a dumb guy.  Why would we trade with you if we can just kill you and take everything you have right now?”

“Yeah… shit, I forgot about that, but I thought that you were supposed to be nice people,” says Dylan, now looking at the two men.

“Yeah, I think that you came to the wrong place.  The life out here, it’s shit… and you have bad luck, asshole,” says the man with the gun as he prepares to shoot Dylan.

_Zooop_... a buzzing sound can be heard as soon as a splash of blood spurts out of the man’s head. The blood just splashes the other guy in the face while he watches his partner fall to the ground.

“What the he--?” the man stops when Dylan moves quickly, taking out a knife that his was hiding underneath his shirt, and stabs the man in the neck. The man tries to call for help but can't scream; after a few moments, he falls to the ground, dead.

“Who is the ass now? Pendejos,” says Ellie, standing up from her position and starting to walk toward Dylan.

“Shit, Ellie, you really took your time -- that guy almost shot me,” says Dylan in a low voice.

“Just help me move the body, and take that guy’s clothes off.  Phase two is going to start now.”

They move the body out of the way and Dylan puts on one of the men’s clothes, then walks over to Ellie.

“Are you sure this is going to work?  We don't know how many bandits are inside.”

“Pfft... look, this is a small place, so I don't think there’s going to be too many of them in there, and if they’re as dumb as those two assholes, this is going to be a piece of cake.”  

“Yeah, but they need just one to be lucky and kill us.  I just got lucky a few moments ago, and I don't want to break that luck.”

“You just do what I told you and everything is going to be fine.  And we don't need to kill them all, just their boss.  The rest are just going to run,” says Ellie with confidence.

“Well, I would be happier if Bob were here.  I’m starting to miss that old Indian guy.  He knows how to do things the right way.”

“Hey!... you don't need to worry, Joel and I got away from situations worse than this.  You just do what I tell you and everything is going to be fine... trust me!”

 

**To be Continued...**

  
  
  



	5. What is Left out There Part- 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Dylan and Ellie discover the little outpost, and found that is been attack they decide to do something about it and help them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 5 : What is Left out There Part- 2**

  


Dylan finishes dressing up in the bandit’s clothes, puts a cap on his head, and some kind of scarf over his face.  Even though it’s getting dark, someone could see that he is not one of the men from the front gate.   

“Okay, let's do this, and try not to look so nervous, okay?” says Ellie, hiding a gun on her back and her pocket knife in one of her sleeves.

“I hope this goes fine... I don't want to die in this place, after surviving a lot of infected in that last town we were in,” says Dylan while he grabs one of Ellie’s arms and starts to move forward.

A few minutes later, they enter the outpost.  At first Dylan starts to look around to see if there are any other guards close to the gate, but he can’t see any.  The place is small: just a few mid-sized houses made from scrap material, and a small shed, apparently being used as a little store.  Ellie also starts to look for any kind of trouble.  She remembers Joel told her of places like this existing all around the country.  They found some abandoned when they were traveling across the states, looking for the Fireflies.  Joel told her that the people that live in places like this survive by scavenging in nearby places, or trading food and other things with people that come by looking for a place to spend the night.

They continue walking inside the encampment.  A big house can be seen at the end of the place, where the fence that surrounds the camp ends.  Ellie lowers her head when she sees a few men with guns walking close to the big house, and one of the men starts to walk toward them now.

“Okay, man, here they come... just stay cool, and we’re going to be fine,” whispers Ellie to Dylan.

“Hey… what the hell are you doing here?  You’re supposed to be at the gate with Mike, and what is this?” asks the man, pointing to Ellie.

“Yeah… yeah, but Mike told me to bring this one inside.  She came to the gate begging for food,” answers Dylan, changing his voice a little.  

“Is that so!... well, maybe we can have a little party with this one.  The last one didn't last long.”  

“Okay, I’ll take her with the others and--” Dylan is interrupted.

“No! we’re going to take this one for us.  The men need a little reward after all this, so just hand her over to me and go back to your post.”

“What!  I was told that all the girls are supposed to go to the boss first,” says Dylan while he holds her.

“Who told you that, asshole, Mike?” says the man while he tries to get Ellie out of Dylan’s grip.

“Yeah, he was the one who told me to take her to the boss, so--” answers Dylan, and starts to move toward the big house.  

“Hey, I didn't tell you to leave, you idiot -- I'm in charge of the men here, so just give me the girl and go back to the gate.”   

“Mike told me to--” Dylan stops when the man grabs Ellie by the arm and tries to take her from him, but in the process, his cap falls off.  

“What!.. Who the hell are you? You’re not one of my men,” says the man when he sees Dylan’s face.

“Fuck this plan B...” says Ellie while she takes out 2 smoke grenades and throws one in front of the man.

“What the fuck?” says the man when the grenades explode in front of him.

Quickly, Dylan takes his gun out and shoots the man in the chest.  The other man close to them starts to shoot, but Ellie throws the other grenade at them, and the whole place fills with smoke. Everyone starts to shoot, but they can’t see what they’re shooting at, so Ellie starts to move close to them and stabs some with her knife.  Dylan shoots the ones that are close to him and goes for cover as the chaos continues with some more men starting to come out of the big house.  

“What is going on here?” says one of the men when he looks at the chaos on the street.

They have to kill the boss, who is probably in the main house, so Ellie lets Dylan distract the man as she moves to the back of the house and finds the back entrance.  Lucky for Ellie, there is nobody there, so she opens the door slowly and enters the house.   

Dylan runs after he shoots another man, and 3 more go after him, after the smoke starts to disperse. He gets to a building that looks like an old barn, and goes in.  When he enters, he sees a few old men and women tied up on the ground.  He turns back toward the door and blocks it with a piece of wood he found on the floor.   

“Open the door, you fuck -- you and your little girl are as good as dead,” says one of the men as soon as they get in front of the barn.

 

( a few minutes later with Ellie )

Ellie moves slowly in the house, checking her surroundings, but no one is close to her.  When she enters the kitchen, she hears some voices coming from the living room, so she starts to move there, stops behind a wall, and watches.

“You idiot, go out and check what all the shooting’s for.  You two, stay here,” says an old man.

“Hey, boss, do you think those are the ones who went out in the morning?” asks one of the men.

“I don't know... the man in charge here said the they were going to get back in two days, so I don't think so,” says the old man.

“Yeah, but what if he was lying?”

“Well… if that’s the case, we can't be sure now, because dead people can’t talk.”

“What about the woman that you sent upstairs a while ago, maybe she knows?” says the other man in the room.

“Yeah… you go get her, and bring her here quick,” says the boss man to one of the men with him.

As one of the men goes upstairs, this is Ellie’s chance to make her move:  there are now only two. She checks her gun and takes out a flash grenade that she found at Bill’s place when she and Dylan went there 3 weeks ago.     

“Hey, boss, I think it’s over.  I don't hear more gunshots,” says the man with him.

“Well, that means whoever the assholes were that came here and started all that are dead now,” says the boss man, and starts to walk toward the window.  

“What should we do with the rest of the survivors?” asks the man, moving to his side.

“Kill them.  Almost all of them are old people -- nobody’s going to buy them, but maybe we can get a good price for the one upstairs... she’s young and healthy.  So, now tell the men to gather all they can, and after we leave, burn this place to the ground,” says the old man, moving away from the window.

Ellie is in the corner of the wall, and she is prepared to make her move, when she hears something or someone.

_“You're getting negligent, kiddo!”_

“Fuck!... not now,” says Ellie in a lower voice.

“Drop the weapon, and stand up,” says a man pointing a gun at the back of her head.

“Shit!..” says Ellie when she feels a gun on the back of her neck.

Then she drops the gun and the grenade on the floor and stands up.  The man behind her starts to push her toward the living room now.

“Hey boss, look what I found in the kitchen,” says the man, pushing her in front of the old man.

“Well… well, I think we have a bonus, boys,” he says, getting close to Ellie and touching her face.

“Don't touch me, you fucking asshole,” says Ellie, moving her head away.

“Oh… a feisty one -- that’s good, we can make a more profitable deal that way,” says the old man, moving away.

After a few minutes, the man that went upstairs comes back with another girl, but this one is older than Ellie.

“Hey boss, here’s the girl,” says the man when he enters the living room.

“Great, you go outside and tell the others that we are leaving as soon as possible.  I don't want more trouble.”

“Boss, I don't know where the others are.  I found 4 of our men dead outside.  And I don't see the others.”  

“What the hell are you talking about -- you’re not telling me that this girl killed all my men, are you?” says the man, a little furious now.

“Maybe they’re with the prisoners... you want me to check?”

“What do you think, you moron -- go and find who is left, and tell them that we’re leaving soon.”

Then the man that caught Ellie moves toward the door and leaves.  After that, the boss man orders the other two remaining to get some rope and tie up the two girls.  One of them goes to get the rope, and the other keeps pointing his gun at the two girls, who are now standing close together.

After a few minutes, the man that went to get the rope comes back and starts to bind the older girl.  Then they hear the front door open, and one man enters the room.

“Hey, you -- the other prisoners are dead?.... Wait a minute… you’re not one of my men.”

“No!... And like the rest of your men, you are dead,” says Dylan as soon as he pulls his gun and shoots the old man several times in the chest.  The other two men start to react, but Ellie moves quickly; she takes out her pocket knife and stabs the man close to her on his dick.  The man screams and drops to the floor; the other one takes out his gun and shoots at Dylan, but misses when the older woman pushes him from behind.  Then Dylan shoots him several times and kills him, too.  After that, the older girl picks up one of the bandit’s guns and moves toward the man that Ellie stabbed, who is still on the floor.

“This is for touching me earlier and trying to take me with you to sell me, like I'm a fucking _thing_ , you motherfucker,” the girl says while she pulls the trigger and shoots the man several times in the chest.

After all the shouting ends, Dylan moves close to Ellie and puts one hand on her shoulder.  “Hey, are you okay?” asks Dylan as soon as he gets beside her.

“Yeah, this asshole took me by surprise, but they didn't have time to do anything to me.  How did you kill the rest of his men?” asks Ellie curiously.

“Well, that is a long story, but it’s over now.  I found some people in an old barn… they’re outside,” answers Dylan, moving now to the other woman.  “Hey, are you okay?”

“What!...” asks the woman when she comes out of shock.

“I asked if you are okay -- do you have any wounds or anything?” asks Dylan again.

“Oh, no, I'm fine, thanks… Who are you and why did you help us?” asks the girl.

“We were just coming here for supplies and information when we saw the situation, and we decided to help.”

“Well… that’s a little strange… people don't help others for no reason these days… but thanks.  My name is Alice.  What is yours?” says the girl while she looks at both Dylan and Ellie.

“Oh!... right… umm my name is... Luke,” says Dylan a little nervously.

“Well… Luke, thanks for the help… you too, girl, what is your name?”

“Umm… Leia, but it’s going to be better if--” Ellie stops talking when a group of people enters the house.

“Hey Alice, are you okay… did they hurt you?” says one of the older men who were prisoners in the barn.

“Yeah, I'm okay, thanks to… Luke and Leia.  How many did they kill besides Robert?” Alice asks the man.  

“Five… the four guards and Claris.  Those fuckers -- she was a good person.  But we can discuss that later.  We need to clean all this first,” says the man, looking now at the bandit bodies.

After that, the rest of the people that are left enter the house and start to give their thanks to the two people that saved their lives.  Ellie and Dylan try not to say much.  Then the people start to take the dead bodies out of the house.  The old man, Tom, orders some of the other people to take the bandits’ bodies to the barn so they can deal with them later.  The residents that got killed and the man in charge are taken to another small house so they can bury them later, in the morning.

They finish a few hours later.  He orders two men to close and guard the front gate, and then Tom, taking charge of the outpost, offers ‘Leia’ and ‘Luke’ something to eat, and a room to stay the night.  It was at least the right thing to do.  Ellie tells him that she only wants some information on a man she is looking for, but she accepts the offer, as she and Dylan are really tired.  After they eat, Tom promises to give them the information they need, if he has any, and gives them the supplies they need -- for free.  After that, the rest of the people there go to get some sleep, to be ready for the long day ahead.

  


***In another part of the country***

  
  


In an old factory, outside Kansas City, a group of Firefly renegades are planning their next move.

“So what do you think, doc?  Are we making any progress?” asks Walter, the leader of the renegade group.

“You could say that, but it’s moving too slowly.  The last two candidates you brought me didn't contribute much,” answers the doctor.     

“Well, it’s not easy to find immune people these days, and without the help of the others, our resources are more limited now,” says Walter.

“I understand that, sir, but that’s going to make my job more difficult.  If we just had the girl, maybe I could give you faster results.”  

“Yeah, but we need to work with what we have.  We’ve been looking for that girl for more than 3 years, and we haven’t found her yet.  So for now, we need to work with the one we found -- do you get that?”

“Well, I heard rumors that the old man that was protecting her joined a group of ex-military, and they’ve been attacking Firefly outposts since last year,” says the doctor while he continues working with his research.

“Yeah, I hear that too, but also that they haven’t seen any girl with them, so for now, that doesn’t matter to us.  We’re going to find a way to deal with that soon.”

While Walter is taking to the doctor in his laboratory, a man opens the door violently and enters the room, trying to catch some air.  

“Hey, what the hell is this, soldier -- this place can't be disturbed like this.  I hope that you have a good excuse, or you’re going to be in serious trouble.  So what brings you here like this? -and it better be important,” says Walter with a serious expression.

“It is, sir, we just received a communication from the new operating base in Rapid City,” says the soldier to Walter.

“Well, that’s great... okay, go and tell Mario that I'm going to be there in five minutes,” says Walter to the solder.

“Yes, sir,” answers the man, then he turns around and leaves the room.

“Okay, Doc, I’ll leave you with your work here, and I hope that Richard comes with good news.”  And with that, he walks toward the door and leaves the room.

After a few minutes, Walter arrives at the communication room and asks the man in charge to get in contact with the new outpost, and to leave the room.  As soon as the man leaves, a sound on the radio can be heard, and then a voice from the other side.    

_Buzzz… buzzzz_

“Richard, are you there?” asks Walter while he tries to talk on the radio.

Buzzz...

_“Yes!... it’s me, sorry, we’ve been having problems with the communication, but I think we’re okay for now.”_

“I don't think that you called me just to tell me that, right?” says Walter, a little desperate.

_“No!... I want to inform you that the new base is ready, and we got some new recruits, too. There’s not much around here, but some of my men say there’s a small town close to here that we can get to help us with supplies and food.”_

“Well, that’s great, but you think there’s going to be any problems?”

_“We don't know yet, but I'm sure that we have enough power to make them understand.”_

_Buzzz.._

“Well, that’s good to know.  Any news on the scout group?”

_“Not yet… Alan`s group was following a lead on an immune person in Denver, but we haven’t had any communication with them since last week.”_

“Well, I hope they found something.  We lost our last subject two days ago, and the doc is not making any progress.  We’re going to need another one soon.”

_Buzzz..._

_“I understand, sir, we have three patrols looking out there, but it’s not easy to find them these days. There’s another thing: we heard that the group that was attacking the Fireflies’ outpost stopped a few months ago.”_

“Yeah, I heard that the smuggler who was protecting the girl was with them, and that he’s dead, so we need to be sure of that.  The last time he tried to find me, he escaped from the trap we set for him,” says Walter, with a mildly disgusted expression on his face.

_Buzzz.._

_“Well… if they stopped, maybe it’s true that he’s dead, and if that’s the case, it’s a shame, because  we could’ve tried capturing him again and using him to find the girl.”_

“That is true, but maybe we’ll still use that, if that motherfucker’s still alive.  What about Carlos and his mercenaries?  We haven't had any news on them for more than a year.”

_“Yes, the last info was that his group and the military destroyed the Firefly headquarters in Texas. Lucky for them, the council managed to evacuate before they arrived there.”_

_Buzzz..._

“Well, if those assholes disappeared, that’s going to be good news for us too, and maybe he’s dead, too.  Okay, keep me informed if something new comes up, I’ll start to get ready to move ASAP.  So we’re going to be there in three weeks, okay?”

_“Yes, sir, we will be waiting for you to arrive,”_ says Richard before he ends the transmission.

After that, Walter starts to order his men to start packing all the things they can, and prepare to move to the new place.

  
  


***Back at the outpost with Ellie***

  
  
  


The cold morning comes, and Ellie is still lying down in the bed.  She hasn't slept in a bed since they left Jackson almost three months ago.  After they move all the dead bodies out of the big house, Tom gives them a separate room to spend the night.  Dylan goes and gets the horses and brings them back to the outpost.  After that, both of them go get something to eat, clean up, and go to sleep.

When Ellie gets out of bed, it’s 9:00 in the morning.  “Shit,” she says to herself, and she starts to put her clothes on and pack her things.  They were supposed to get out of there first thing in the morning, but the bed is so good that she just oversleeps.  When she gets down the stairs and goes to the kitchen, Dylan is already there, talking with Alice.

“Oh, good morning E--, Leia, did you sleep well?” asks Dylan as soon as Ellie enters the kitchen.

“Ummm… Luke, why didn't you wake me up early?  You know that we need to go as soon as possible,” says Ellie, crossing her hands in front of her chest.

“Well, for starters, you need the rest, and secondly, Tom is dealing with the… you know... the dead people, and he said that he’ll come back later.  So it’s better for us if we just eat and wait for him.  Besides, I was talking with Alice here about what happened with those bandits and how they got here.”

“Yeah… I bet you're enjoying yourself.  Do you know if the supplies that…Tom is going to give us are ready?” asks Ellie, sitting now at the table.  

“Don't worry about that -- Tom told Eric to prepare that for you two this morning.  Also, he ordered someone to take care of your horses,” says Alice.

“Sorry, my… sister here doesn't want to be rude.  We thank you for all the hospitality you people here have given us,” says Dylan with a little smile on his face.  

“Oh… no… no, I think that we’re the ones that need to thank _you_ , especially me.  I don't want to know what those fuckers were going to do with me and all these people here.  Oh, by the way, they are not my people -- I’ve only been here like three weeks,” explains Alice while she stands up, goes to the kitchen counter, and starts to prepare something to eat for Ellie.

“So… you don't live here?” asks Ellie.

“No, really, like I said to your brother here, I found this place three weeks ago, after I lost my… brother.  I just was out there alone, and these people here accepted me.  For that, I'm grateful,” says Alice, feeling a little sadness.

“Oh… Sorry about your brother... it’s sad to lose someone you love,” says Ellie, thinking about herself.

“Yeah… thanks.  So what brings you two here?  You mentioned last night that you were looking for information and supplies,” asks Alice after she puts a plate of food in front of Ellie.  

“We’re looking for someone that maybe came around here some time ago.  So maybe you or Tom can help us,” says Dylan, looking now at Alice.

“Sorry, I don't think that I can help you.  Like I said before, I’ve been here only like three weeks. And except for those bandit assholes, nobody’s come to this place since I’ve been here, but maybe Tom can help you,” says Alice, sitting at the table again.

As soon as they finish eating their food, Tom enters the house and greets them.  He thanks them again for saving all their lives.  He tells them that they will be welcome here any time, and that he’s going to give them all the supplies they need.  Ellie thanks him and tells him that they can't stay long, and that she is looking for someone that maybe came here earlier this year, or last year.

Ellie gives the description to him and tells him that sometimes he uses the name Hunter when he is out there scavenging.  Ellie tries not to give these people too much information when they try to ask some other things about their story, out of curiosity.

“I'm sorry, but Robert’s the one that was in charge here, the one that receives all the visitors here... well, he and Cliff, of course.  I was just in charge of the food supplies and didn't make much contact with the people that entered here.”

“Well that is bad news, because the man in charge here is dead now,” says Ellie, a little disappointed.

“Well, that is true, but you can still ask Cliff -- he went out with the hunting party yesterday, so he’s going to be back here in a few days,” says Tom.

“I don't know if we can stay that long,” says Ellie, looking at Dylan now.

“Well, he is the only one that can give you the information you’re looking for,” says Tom, moving now to the living room.

“You can stay here all the time you need -- isn’t that right, Tom?” asks Alice, looking at the old man now.

“Sure, you two are welcome to stay here all the time you need, and wait for them to come back here.  Then you can go if you like,” says Tom, looking now at the two guests.

“That’s great -- what do you say, Luke, do you want to stay?” asks Alice with a smile on her face.

“Sure, why not?  We can stay and wait for them to come back here, thanks,” says Dylan with a smile too, but it disappears when he looks at Ellie, who doesn't look so happy about all this.  

“Okay then, welcome to the Bright Forest outpost,” says Tom with his arms wide open.  


	6. Love can be found in weird places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the battle is won in the outpost, Ellie try to get the information she need to find Joel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, But all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 6 : Love can be found in weird places**

  


***Bright Forest Outpost***

  


(Two days later)

Ellie is lying in bed, her heart pounding really fast.   _Fuck,another nightmare,_ she tells herself now, staring at the ceiling.  The room is dark because it’s still night and there’s not much light outside.  She’s lucky that Dylan is in another room, and that this time, she didn't scream.  Ellie is starting to get frustrated; it's been two days and this Cliff guy hasn’t returned yet.  Even though this place is a good rest from the cruel world out there, she feels a little sorry for the people that live here.

The bandit attack just killed 6 men -- the youngest and strongest ones.  What’s left here is just some old people.  They’re good, but not capable of defending themselves for long.  What’s going to happen when another group attacks this place again?  But as sorry as she feels, soon this is not going to be her concern.  Ellie tries to move her thoughts to another place, but they keep taking her back to Joel.

“I need to find him, and soon... Dylan and I’ve already been out here for almost three months and we haven't even found any clues on where Joel is, or--” Ellie is taken out of her thoughts when she hears a little knock on the door.  

“Ellie, are you awake?” asks Dylan in a lower voice, and looking to both sides of the corridor.

“Dy-- I mean Luke, is that you?” asks Ellie back.

“Yes!... can I come in?”

“Wait, just give me a second.” Ellie gets out of bed and puts some pants on; when she finishes, she speaks again, “Okay… you can come in now.”

Then Dylan opens the door as silently as possible and enters the room.  Ellie is sitting on the corner of the bed in there, looking at him with a surprised face.   _Did he hear me when I woke up from the nightmare?_ she thought.

“I'm glad that you’re awake because I need to talk to you,” says Dylan, getting close to the bed and starting to get nervous.

“Dylan, do you know what time it is?  It’s still dark outside.  What do you want to tell me that’s so urgent that it can't wait until morning?” asks Ellie, sounding a little curious.

“Well… it can, but it’s better if we talk now that everyone here is sleeping,” says Dylan, pacing from side to side in front of her without saying anything.

“So!... are you going to tell me or not?” asks Ellie, a little desperate now.

“Please… don't get mad at me, okay?” says Dylan, playing with his hand now.

“Fuck!  Man, spit it out already... or I'm going to do something bad to you soon if you don't start to talk right now,” Ellie yells at him now.  

“Sssshhh, please lower your voice, do you want to wake up everyone here?”

“Talk now!” says Ellie, looking at his face with mad eyes.

“Okay...okay… it’s just that I… somehow invited Alice to come with us when we… go out of here,” says Dylan in a lower voice, but moving away from Ellie.

“WHAT!” Ellie yells and stands up from the bed.

“Sssshhhh… lower you voice, please, or you want the people that are sleeping here to hear us?” pleads Dylan with his hands in front of him as Ellie moves close to him.

“Are you crazy?  We can't take that girl or woman or whatever, with us.  You know that we can't expose ourselves to anyone.  Besides, you’ve known her like, what, three days?  Another thing -- we’re on a mission, remember?  This isn’t a fun trip,” says Ellie, a little furious now.

“I know… I know, but I’ve been talking with her and she is a nice person and we can't let her stay here.  You saw what just happened here, and even if the ones from the hunting trip come back, there aren’t many people here to defend this place.  Sooner or later, hunters or more bandits are going to come here and destroy this place and kill everyone.”  

“As sad as that sounds, this is not our problem.  We need to go soon, and we can’t tell anybody who we really are.  Taking her with us is out of the question.  So it’s better if you talk to her in the morning and tell her that she can`t come with us,” says Ellie, turning around and starting to walk toward the door.

“I can't do that… I already gave her my word that I will take her with us.  I'm sorry, Ellie, but you need to understand that I can't leave her here after what happened,” says Dylan with a sad face.

“Are you serious?... Oh please don't tell me that--” Ellie stops when she sees the look in his eyes.

“I know... I know that I’ve only known her for a few days, but I thought  you will understand.” say Dylan.

“I'm sorry, man, I can see that you like her, but what I need to do is very important, and I’m not going to risk that with this,” says Ellie, lowering her head.

“Oh, c`mon, she won’t be a burden -- she’s a smart girl and knows how to shoot.  She doesn't need to know everything about us, and we can--”

Ellie interrupts him.  “Sorry, but it’s too risky, and we don't even know if she’s just playing you.  I’ve seen that before.”

“She’s not like that, I know, and I trust her sincerity.  I know that you think that all this is stupid, that I just can't feel something or risk anything for this woman.  But I thought that you’d understand... after all, you’re doing the same when you're risking everything for Joel?”

“That is low, and besides, all this is not the same,” says Ellie, looking at him.

“It’s not the same?  Why?  Because you don't think that I can love this woman the same way you love Joel?” Dylan says, trying to see the reaction in Ellie’s eyes.

“What!” she says with her eyes wide open.

“Oh, c’mon, Ellie, did you think I don't know why you came out here looking for him?  I may be 27 years old, but I'm not stupid.  I know that you love him, and that is why you are looking for him, and--”

Ellie interrupts him.  “You don't know anything, and of course I love him, but not in the way you think--” Ellie stops when she sees Dylan getting close to her.

“Ellie, you don't need to deny it.  I know that something was going on with you and Joel even before we got out of Jackson.  I don't know about Tommy, but I even think that Maria has her suspicions too... maybe that’s why she was so understanding on letting you go find him,” says Dylan, now putting one hand on her shoulder.  

“Dylan… I--” Ellie tries to talk, but closes her mouth as she doesn't know what to say.  

“It’s okay, I’m not going to judge you.  All that is between Joel and you.  I like Joel like he’s my own father, and I know that I'm only here to make sure that nothing happens to you.  That’s the task that Tommy and Maria gave me, and even Joel, before he left.  But maybe you’re right... that I’ve just known her for three days.  Maybe what I feel for her could be love or maybe not, but I know that I like her a lot... I just think that we are all the same here.  We all lost almost everything in this world, but we now have something that she doesn`t.”

“And what is that?” Ellie asks, looking at his sad face.

“Hope… hope for a better future, and I want to give her that.  Look, I know that this is your journey, and I will follow you until the end.  The only thing that I will ask is for you to think about it, okay?” After Dylan says that, he just walks toward the door and leaves the room, leaving Ellie alone there and trying to go to sleep the rest of the night.  

Ellie just goes back to lie down on the bed, sure now that she is not going to sleep.  She needs to think what to do now, because now Dylan knows her feelings for Joel.   _Is this going to complicate things now?  Do Maria and Tommy know too?  And what am I going to do with Dylan and this woman?_  All these questions start to pop up in her head.

“ _Shit!  This is going to be a long night,_ ” says Ellie to herself.

The next morning, the hunting party arrives.  They are received by Tom and some of the people that live here.  After a few hours of Tom and the others talking to them and explaining what happened, Tom calls Leia (Ellie) and Luke (Dylan) so that way they can ask what they need to know.

After Ellie describes Joel without saying his real name to Cliff, he tells her that they don’t remember seeing someone like that coming here in the past two years.  So Ellie asks him about a man called Bill, and gives him the description.  Then he tells her that he remembers a man like that coming here in the summer, that he stayed for a few days and then left.  Ellie asks if he said where he was going, and Cliff tells her that he mentioned a little town in Indiana.  Ellie recognizes the place where it’s marked on her map.   

Ellie thanks the man and after that, she talks with Dylan and decides that it’s too late to depart, that it’s better to go out first thing in the morning.  Also, she tells him that the woman can go with them, but that she’s going to be his responsibility and that he can`t tell her anything about them -- at least not the whole truth, or any important information.  After that, they just pass the day until the next morning comes and it’s going to be time to leave.

  


***Joel, one year earlier***

 

Some fire can be seen from the distance at a college building in Columbus City in Nebraska… a Firefly supporters’ base.  Some gunshots can still be heard inside, as some group fighters are still shooting each other inside the building, for a few hours.  After that, the group that invaded the place starts to check for any survivors or resistance.  As the invading group starts to enter the compound, they find some survivors and take them prisoner.  The leader of the group orders his men to start to take all the things they can use, and divides them into separate teams to start the search.

 

(One hour later)

“Arrrrrrhhhhh….”  A loud cry can be heard from a small room on the second floor of the building.

“Hey, you?”  a younger man calls up to an old person that is standing in the corridor of the second floor of the old building, where he and two other men are guarding the place..

“Yes!  Did you need something, kid?” asks the old man.

“Yes, do you know where Hunter is?” asks the younger man.

“Arrrrrrhhhhh….” Another scream can be heard from a nearby room, and then stops completely.

“Oh, if you’re looking for Hunter, he’s in that room, and I think that he’s finished interrogating the first prisoner he has in there,” says the old man.

“Oh, okay, because I need to tell him something,” says the young man.

“Sorry, but you need to wait until he’s done -- he doesn't like to be interrupted when he’s working with someone,” says the old man.

“Well, I don't have all day, and I was sent here to deliver a message,” says the young man as he tries to pass the guards and go to the room.

“You’re new, right?  Well, you can go inside if you want, but I'm not going to be responsible if he does something to you.”

“Yeah, the last one that interrupted him ended up with a broken arm, so it’s going to be better for you if you just wait until he’s finished,” says another guard.

The young man just looks at the door, then to the two guards, and swallows.  He starts to look nervous when the guard steps aside and signals him to go on and enter the room.  Then he starts to walk back when he hears a man inside, begging him to stop.   

“Okay… I’ll just go… now, just tell him that Miss Amber wants to see him as soon as possible, okay?” says the young man.  After that, he just turns around and walks out to the exit.

The three guards start to laugh as soon as the young man is out of sight. “Okay, that was fun,” says one of the guards.

“Okay, no more fun -- you stay here and wait for him to finish, Alex and I are going up to the fourth floor and check if everything is okay,” says the old man, and then he and the other guy walk away.

 

(Inside the room)

Hunter (Joel) is cleaning his knife on the pants of a dead man that is sitting in a chair.  He moves to a corner of the room where a table is with some screwdrivers, scissors, a small pipe, and some other things that can only give you nightmares.  He picks up a piece of cloth and starts to clean the blood off his hand, then he slowly turns his head around and looks at the other man that is in another chair, tied up in the room.

“Well, I think that your boss doesn't want to cooperate much… ummm, I hope that you have more common sense.  Look, I don't enjoy this… but I always do what I need to do to obtain what I need, and right now, I just need a name and an address,” Joel says, now walking toward the chair where the man is tied up.   

“Listen, I don't know anything... please, he was the boss, if he didn't tell you what… you need… I can't tell you what I don't know,” the man starts to beg when he sees Joel with a wine opener in one hand, getting close to him.

“All of you Fireflies are the same... you think that you’re better than the military or even the hunters, but all of you are the same,” Joel says, getting close to him and looking him in the face, which is already bruised and cut.  

“Please, I don't know who you’re looking for… please.”

“You people always know something, so I’m going to ask again:  what is the name of the man that is hunting people that are immune to the virus?” Joel asks, waiting for an answer but hearing none.  

“I don't know… we’re not Fireflies, we’re just… Aaaarrrrhhhhh…” the man screams when Joel stabs his leg with the wine opener.

“Why do you always want to do this the hard way?  I just need a name, c`mon, you must know something… a man like that is not easy to hide,” says Joel, walking again toward the table and picking up another instrument.

“Aaaahhhh, fuck!... I will tell you again… I don't know… anything…”

“Well, that is going to be a shame, because if you don't know anything, I can’t use you -- you’re no good to me,” says Joel, walking toward him with a pipe in his hand.

“Please, you can take anything you want… and just go,” says the man, now with a scared expression, trembling.  Joel goes and slaps him so he can look at him now, after the guy lowers his face to not look at Joel.

“Do you see this?  I use it sometimes to break some infected heads -- it’s pretty effective.  You can blow the head off with a single blow.  It hurts like hell, too, so you’re going to tell me his name and where he is?”

“I DON'T KNOW!....” yells the man as he spits some blood on the floor.

“Okay, I see that you people like the pain… so be it,” says Joel, and then he takes the pipe and hits the man on his hand as hard as he can.

“AAAArrrrrrhhhhh… fuck… I swear, man... I don't know anything,” the man screams in pain.

“Do you know what I hate, more than the military, umm… is you people.  Because both of you took something away from me that I love.  First, the military killed my daughter, and then you fucking Fireflies separated me from the other person I love,” Joel says while he takes a few steps back.

“Look… man, I'm sorry.. for your loss… but I'm not responsible for that... Please just stop,” says the man, trying to plead with the man in front of him.  

“Well… that may be true, but the man I’m looking for is, and I know that some of you people know who he is.  So why don’t you do yourself a favor and tell me -- it’s going to be less painful,” says Joel, looking at him and moving the pipe in his hand.

“Please... if I knew who he was, I’d tell you... Aaaahhhhh,” the man screams again when Joel hits him with the pipe in his other hand.

“Okay, have it your way -- you still have some other bones I can break,” says Joel, looking at his legs.

After one hour, Joel puts some instruments on the table and cleans his hand, then goes to the door and opens it.  When he leaves the room, he sees one of the guards that is standing beside the room’s door and looks at him.

“Hey, Hunter… umm... did you get anything?” asks the guard, a little nervous.

“Not much.  These two took too much time to make them talk.  I didn't know that these Fireflies could resist so much pain, but at least I got the name of a place where another group of Fireflies are,” says Joel to him and starts to walk away.

“Okay, that’s good, another place to visit… Oh, I almost forgot, Miss Amber wants to see you ASAP,” says the guard as he watches Joel going toward the stairs and then turn around to look at him.

“Okay, thanks,” says Joel while looking at the guard, then he turns around again and starts  going down the stairs.

When Joel gets down to the first floor, he sees a few men still loading the 2 trucks that they came on.  Some of the bodies from the Firefly people are still on the ground, dead, and some of the guys from his group are still checking them for things.  And that includes women.  It’s a sight that he hasn't seen in a long time, before he knew Tess or even Ellie... his Ellie, the person that changed his life, the girl that filled his heart -- the girl he learned to love.    

He is staring at the scene.   _Too many dead.  I'm so sorry, Ellie, that all we have has to end like this.... a side of me that I want to forget,_ says Joel to himself, then he is brought out from his thoughts. 

“Hey, Hunter, are you okay?” says a man while putting one hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah… yeah, I’m okay, umm... Your guys ain’t finished yet?” asks Joel.

“Miss Amber wants this whole place cleaned up, so it’s getting hard to search all this, even if it’s just a small school,” answers the man.

“Yeah, right... she called for me so I’d better go and see what she wants, see you later,” says Joel to the man and walks away.

Joel walks until he finds the room he is looking for.  One guard is in front, so he stops in front of him and tells him that the boss is expecting him.  So the guard knocks on the door and informs her that Hunter is here.  The woman inside informs him to let him in, so he steps aside and opens the door for him.

“Did you call for me?” Joel asks as soon as he enters the room and closes the door.

“You took your time with those two... did you enjoy it this time?” says the woman, looking at some papers while sitting behind a desk in the room.

“I don't take pleasure in this, and you know that I just do what I have to do, that’s all,” says Joel, walking toward the desk and stopping in front.

‘Oh, c’mon, I know you do sometimes -- those bastards were just Fireflies, there’s no shame in that,” says the woman as she stands up from the chair. “Now, did you get something out of them?”

“Not much.  They either don't know the man I’m looking for, or they prefer to take that information to the grave,” says Joel.

“Oh, that’s too bad... so you didn't get anything from them?” the woman asks while she moves close to Joel and and starts to press her hand on his chest in a sexy way.

“What are you doing?” asks Joel, trying to back away, but finding the desk behind him.  Then he grabs her hand and tries to push it away from him.

“Well... you know that I get a little excited after I have some action,” she whispers to him when she gets closer to his face.

“Yeah, and that freaks me out sometimes.  Look, why don’t you keep your little game to yourself.  Or find another person for that -- you know that I'm not interested, so why don’t we just keep all this strictly professional,” says Joel, pushing her away from him.

“Oh, c`mon, Hunter, how long have we known each other now, six? Ten months?  You know that sooner or later, it’s going to happen, so why do you always try to resist?  I know that you want it,” says Amber with a seductive voice.

“We’ve known each other for 8 months, and I think that’s been too long.  You’ve tried this too many times, so you should know by now that this is never going to happen.  So why don't you do yourself a favor and stop trying, or find someone that wants to play with you, because it ain’t  going to be me,” says Joel, moving away from her.

“I don't know why you play hard to get -- you work for me, so maybe I can make things easier for you, if you be nicer to me,” says Amber, moving back to the desk where she was sitting earlier.

“Well, first of all, I have a deal with your father, not you, and second, I work with your father’s group because we have a common enemy and interests,” says Joel from a distant part of the room.  

“Yeah, I know that you’re just using us to get that Firefly leader you’re looking for.  I don't really know why this is so important to you, but sooner or later, the military is going to hunt them down.  So I don't know why you waste your time,” says Amber, looking at him with a mad expression on her face.

“I don't give a fuck if you don't get why I’m doing this -- that ain’t your concern, or your father’s.  The general is happy with the results I bring him, and that is all he wants, so why don’t we just kept it that way.”

“Yeah, maybe this isn’t the time to discuss this, so why don’t we leave this conversation for another time.  So maybe we can make a new deal; being the daughter of the boss has its privileges, you know.  But for now, let's finish this so we can get back to the base.”

“Well, that sounds good to me -- the second part, of course, so don’t get your hopes up on any new deal, princess.  I will go and tell Peter to move things faster so we can get out of here,” says Joel, then turns and starts to walk toward the door.

“Yeah, we’ll see, and one more thing: did those assholes give you any information that we can use?” says Amber, sitting again at the desk.

“One of them just told me about another place the Fireflies have in Kansas.  He told me that one of their leaders goes there a lot... we need to go back and talk to your father, so we can prepare a team for that, because that place is going to be harder to hit than this one,” Joel says, looking at her.

“Well, that’s good news, the general is going to be pleased if we hit a major Firefly base.  Okay, just go and tell Peter to work faster.  We’re leaving in two or three hours, tops.  And don`t think that our conversation is over, Hunter, because I’m not finished with you,” says Amber, smiling at him.   _Because_ _one way or another, you’re going to be mine._

“Yeah… I bet it ain’t, but don't think that you’re going to get anything from me.  I’m just here to do a job, nothing more.”  With that, Joel exits the room and leaves the woman alone now.


	7. Two girls and a guy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie get a new information that, probably can take more close to Joel, So the search continue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 7 : Two girls and a guy**

  


                                                                                        ***Back on Ellie, present day***

  
  


After they spend another day at the outpost, Ellie and Dylan prepare the horses the next day. Alice prepares her things and informs Tom that she’s going to travel with Luke and Leia.  Tom wishes her good luck and tells her that he hopes that she finds what she is looking for.  Of course, Ellie isn’t happy with all that.  Having another person with them is not going to end well; they need to hide who they are.  Even though she’s a little happy for Dylan, this woman is just going to be a distraction.  

They leave the outpost early in the morning.  They say goodbye to the little outpost people, but Ellie has the feeling that they are not going to survive in there for long.  But at least now she has a clue that Joel didn’t pass through here, but Bill did, and if he is in that little town in Indiana, maybe he knows where Joel is, or where he could be.  

 

(A few days later)

Ellie and the others take a side road, trying always to avoid big towns or cities; those are always full of infected or bandits, so they always try to stay inside the forest.  The temperature is starting to get cold, as it’s now close to November and winter is coming.  Ellie is always in front of the group now, checking the map that Tommy gave her, trying to find a safe place where they can rest for the night, while Dylan and Alice are behind, talking.

“I don't think that your sister likes me very much,” says Alice, moving her head close to Dylan while she is behind him on the horse.

“Don't take it so bad -- she doesn't like to talk with strangers so much, so it’s not personal,” says Dylan, trying to hold in his laugh at the thought of Alice calling Ellie his sister, and also the names they chose to use.

“Yes, but she’s barely been speaking to me since we got out of the outpost.  I don’t want to cause any trouble,” says Alice, getting back to her earlier position.

“Ah, don't worry about that, we’re going to be fine.  Just try not to ask too many questions, at least for now, and all will be fine.  Can I ask you a question?  I’ve wanted to ask you since we left that place, but I-- haven’t found the way,” says Dylan, still looking to the front.

“Well, I think it’s fair... you let me come with you two, so I think it’s okay.  What do you want to know?”

“Okay... why do you want to come with us?  I know that the outpost isn’t safe anymore after what happened, but why do you want to come with two strangers?” asked Dylan.

“Well, to start, you saved my life -- I don't want to think about what those assholes were going to do with me.  Then you told me about this place where you live, and how nice that sounds, so I thought maybe I could have a good place to start a new life,” says Alice, holding him more tightly around the waist.

Dylan starts to feel something he never thought he could feel, every time this woman gets close to him.  “Yeah, but how can you trust me so easily?  I could be lying, you know?  We could be murderers, or slave traders?” says Dylan, trying to scare her a little.

“Well… if that’s the case, it’s going to be a shame, because it would’ve been nice to go to that town of yours and see your house there.  But if you prefer to gain some money by selling me, it’s your loss,” says Alice, separating herself from him.

“What!... do you really want to go there with me -- did you really mean that?” says Dylan, turning his head to look at her.

“Yeah… I mean--” she stops when Ellie comes close to them and speaks.

“I checked the map and I found that we’re close to some abandoned farms, so if we pick up our pace, maybe we can get to one of them before nightfall,” says Ellie, moving her horse close to Dylan.

“Oh!... okay, that is… good news, it’s getting late so it’s better if we find some place to spend the night.  It’s getting real cool to sleep out in the open,”  Dylan says, looking at Ellie now.

After that, Ellie moves forward and starts to go in the direction the map indicates.  Dylan quickly moves his horse to follow her.

“Is your little sister always so bossy?” whispers Alice to Dylan when Ellie gets further ahead of them.

“Ha, ha, ha, you don't have any idea,” says Dylan with a little laugh.

After a few hours, they find one of the farms that is close to the road, so she tells the other two to get off the horse so they can check if the place is safe.  Ellie tells Dylan to leave Alice with the horses until they check if the farm is deserted.

Ellie takes her gun and the binoculars out of the horse’s saddle and walks to a water well that is close to the barn.  Dylan joins her soon after, and starts to look around.  The place is a mess; there’s debris everywhere, some rusted cars and other vehicles that she can't recognize.  There are some old structures, all in bad shape.  The barn seems to be the only thing that is in good condition.

“Do you see something?” asks Dylan, getting down behind her.  

“Well, the house is completely destroyed, no roof, and missing almost all the walls, but the barn seems to be in good condition,” says Ellie.

“Do you see any infected?” asks Dylan, looking in the direction of the barn.

“No, but it’s possible there could be some inside, so we need to go there and check.”

“Okay, that sounds good, so what’s the plan?”

“What plan!  We just need to go inside the-- okay, you know what, just go and tell that girlfriend of yours to stay with the horses and just scream if she sees something, okay?” says Ellie, looking at him.

“What!... she’s not my girl-- we just talk and she wants to come with us and--” Dylan tries to explain the situation that he doesn’t even know yet.

“Whatever, dude, just go and tell her, and come back fast with my rifle, okay?  I’m going to get closer to the barn,” says Ellie, rolling her eyes, and when she tries to move, Dylan grabs her arm.

“You know that I'm older than you, right?” says Dylan, looking at her with a firm expression, but letting go of her arm.

“Well, if you want to be in charge, then go ahead and be my guest,” says Ellie, taking her gun and offering it to him.

“I… I don't mean it like… that, I know that you have more experience at this than me.  But at least you could be nicer, or at least talk to Alice -- she thinks that you don't like her.”

“Look, I'm sorry if you think that I'm a little bossy, but I spent almost a year with Joel out here. He taught me all I need to know to survive, and one of those things was never trust anybody so easily.  I know that you like this girl, but you know that bringing her with us was a mistake,” says Ellie, shaking her head.

“Okay, I know that maybe it was a mistake, but she needs something to go on.  I know what I’m telling you... if you speak with her, you’ll understand.  But right now, it’s getting late, so let's finish this.  I’ll go tell her and you wait for me, okay?”  Then he moves to where Alice is with the horses and talks to her while Ellie moves closer to the barn.

Ellie gets behind an old rusted car that is close to the the entrance of the barn.  She takes a look at her surroundings, to see if there are any infected outside that she didn't see earlier.  After a few minutes, Dylan gets behind her and puts his hand on her shoulder, and she jumps a little at that.

“Sorry… So what’s the situation?  Do you think that it’s clear inside?” asks Dylan when Ellie looks at him.

“I’m afraid not.  I can hear some noise inside, so there has to be at least 4 or 5 infected inside,” says Ellie, checking her rifle and making sure that they have enough bullets.

“Shit -- and I thought that this was going to be easy.  So how do we do this?  I open the door and you shoot?  Or we both go inside and start shooting at everything that moves,” Dylan says with enthusiasm..

“Really!... we don't have a lot of ammunition to go inside and waste them... I need a distraction,” says Ellie, staring at him.

“Why are you looking at me like that…. Oh, no… I’m not going to be the bait… not this time,” says Dylan, moving his hand in front of him.

“Well, if you don't want to do it, maybe we can use your girlfriend -- that way she can earn her food,” says Ellie, smiling at him.

“Fuck, Ellie, that’s not cool,” says Dylan, shaking his head.

“Sorry, dude, but I'm a better shot.  So what’s it going to be?”

“Fine, I’ll do it, but you better not miss -- last time you almost blew my head off,” says Dylan.

“Sorry about that, but I can't make any promises… just open the door as soon as I'm in position and everything’s going to be fine,” says Ellie, moving toward some debris that’s in front of the barn.

Dylan moves slowly toward the door, trying to not make any sound.  He trusts Ellie with his life, but right now, he sees himself trembling at the thought that something could go wrong.  He has hope that this will work fine; they’ve done this on other occasions, but some of them ended in a close call, and right now he doesn't want to die or get infected.  When he’s in front of the door, Ellie puts her rifle in position and gives him the signal.  After that, Dylan opens the door slowly and takes a look inside.  Ellie gives him the sign to go inside, so he looks at her and goes in.

After a minute, she hears a scream, and Dylan comes out running.  Soon after, some of the infected start to leave the barn, and that’s where all the shooting starts.

Ka-Bam…. Ka-Bam… Ka-Bam

Some of the infected fall to the ground as soon as they get shot in the head by Ellie’s good shooting.  Ellie is proud of herself, knowing that what Joel taught her is working well.

Ka-Bam… Ka-Bam…

After a few moments, more bodies hit the ground, and she starts to think about some of the occasions that Joel took her out when they arrived at Jackson.  He taught her how to shoot the rifle properly and with more accuracy.   _If you could see me now, you’d be so proud of me_ , she thinks.  She is taken out of her thoughts when she sees that one infected is attacking Dylan.  He tries to get his gun out, but the infected knocks it from his hand.  Ellie moves quickly from her position and tries to aim at the infected, but he is too close to Dylan’s neck.  Then Ellie drops the rifle, takes out her pocket knife, and starts to run toward him when a clicker jumps out of nowhere and attacks her.      

Ellie starts to wrestle with the clicker as she falls to the ground with him.  “Fuck! I hate this thing,” she says while the clicker tries to bite her neck.  The thing is too heavy for her to shove away.  So she tries to stab the clicker in the neck, but she can't get a good hold of the knife to do so.  Ellie can almost feel the teeth touching her neck. _Shit -- this can't end like this, this is supposed to be easy,_ she says to herself.

_C’mon, girl, you are stronger than that… you always have been._  She hears a voice that she knows well.

Then, she feels the clicker get lifted off of her, so she moves quickly, takes her knife, and stabs the bastard on his neck several times.  A lot of blood starts to gush out from the clicker’s neck, and when she feels that the clicker isn’t moving anymore, she pushes the dead body above her to the side.   

“Hey, are you okay?  Did he bite you?” asks Alice, extending her hand to help Ellie get up.

“Yeah… I'm okay… thanks.”  Ellie takes her hand and when she gets up, she looks in the direction where Dylan was being attacked. “Oh.. shit!.. Dylan!”

“Dylan?” asks Alice, but not very surprised.

“Fuck!”  Ellie says when she realizes that she said Dylan’s name in front of Alice.  Then Ellie sees that Dylan is walking toward her, so she turns around and starts to walk toward the horses.

“Hey, I'm okay… you know… thanks for asking!” yells Dylan at Ellie when he sees her walk away, and when he gets close to Alice, he asks her, “Where’s she going in such a hurry?”

Alice stops watching Ellie go, and turns her head toward Dylan now. “Your name is Dylan?”

“WHAT!... oh… no… no, Ellie must’ve said that by mistake, my name is Luke, and--”

He is interrupted by Alice.  “It’s okay… you don't have to lie about your name anymore.  I knew from the beginning that your names couldn't be Luke and Leia.”

“What do you mean that you knew?  And why can't those be our names?” asks Dylan with a curious expression.

“Why?... Because I know where those names come from, and I think that you two should find  better names to use for yourselves.  I'm 22, but my big brother was a Star Wars fan, and I find it  strange that a father named their children Luke and Leia in this time,” says Alice, laughing a little.   

“I don't see why not, but if you know, why didn’t you say anything?” says Dylan, looking at Alice.  

“I dunno!... maybe because if you two don't want to tell your real names, there has to be a reason for it.  Besides, you let me come with you, so I thought that whatever your reason is for not using your real names is yours to keep, and that’s okay by me,” explains Alice.  

Dylan just stays there, without being able to say anything more, and after a few minutes, Ellie comes back with the horses.   

“Okay, you two, start to move the bodies away from the barn while I take the horses inside,” Ellie says as soon as she passes in front of them and enters the barn with the horses.

After one hour, Dylan and Alice are finished with the bodies.  They go to the barn and close the door behind them.  It’s getting dark, and the cold of the almost-winter starts to kick in.  The barn isn’t in good condition; it has some holes here and there, but it’ll be good to have a roof to sleep under tonight, after sleeping in the wild for two nights in a row.

When Dylan and Alice get to the center of the barn, Ellie already has the wood fire ready to go.

“We’re finished,” says Dylan when he gets close to Ellie.

“Good, you two can finish with the wood fire, and get some water from the waterhole that’s in front of the barn.  I will go and try to catch dinner,” says Ellie, standing up and going for her bow and arrows.

Dylan moves toward Ellie while she goes to grab her things, and he puts his hand on her shoulder.  “I don't think that it’s a good idea to go out now… it’s getting dark, and it’s going to be cold out there.”

“Well, we have to eat, don't you think?  Don't worry, I’ll be fine out there,” says Ellie, getting her things and moving.

“Look, thanks for the worry thing, but I'm not going to be outside long... just get things ready for sleep and go and get the water.  We’ll cook whatever I catch, okay?”

“Are you sure that you’re fine?  You haven't said much after that thing almost got you.”

“I'm okay.  Just tell your girlfriend thanks for me.  I’ll come back soon,” says Ellie as she heads for the door of the barn.

“Shit!  Ellie, stop saying that -- she’s not my girlfriend, how many times do I have to tell you that?” says Dylan to Ellie in a lower voice, so Alice can't hear him.  Ellie looks at him, smiling, and then she leaves the barn.

 

(A few hours later)

Dylan and Alice are sitting close to the wood fire in the middle of the barn; it’s already dark and no sign of Ellie yet.  Dylan starts to worry, and starts to think about what might happen if Ellie doesn’t come back soon.

“So… Dylan?  That’s your real name, is it?” says Alice while she puts one hand on his shoulder.

“Umm…” says Dylan, taken out of his thoughts.

“I asked you if Dylan is your real name, or is she just calling you that?” says Alice with some curiosity.

“Oh…  yes, that is my real name... look, sorry for not telling you before, but we can't be out there using our real names.  I know that we lied about some things, but I can't tell you why... at least not now, so if you want to go back to the outpost and leave us, I’ll understand.”

“Don't worry about that -- I know that a lot of people lie out there.  Some do it for bad reasons, and others because they want to leave their old life behind,” says Alice, taking her hand away from him and looking at the ground.

“If you know that we lied, why did you come with us?  Well, I know that the outpost is no longer safe, but why come with two strangers when you already know they’re lying?” asks Dylan, looking at her.

“Because when we talked that morning after what happened with those men, I liked to believe that there’s still something good out there to move on to.  You told me about this place where you came from, so I thought that that place sounded wonderful-- that place exists… right?  Please, just tell me that you didn't lie about that… right?” says Alice, looking at him desperately.

“Don't worry, that place exists… we might not be going there for some time now, but I can tell you that it’s a good place to live.  I can't tell you about our real lives for now... that will depend on--Leia... but I will take you there someday, I promise,” says Dylan, taking one of her hands in his.

“I don't know why, but I trust you,” says Alice, taking her other hand and touching Dylan’s face. Then she moves her head close to his and plants a kiss on his mouth.  The kiss goes deeper and more passionate until they are interrupted by someone entering the barn.  They both separate quickly, and look at Ellie with some red showing on their faces.

“Uurr!... well, I hope that I’m not interrupting anything,” says Ellie as soon as she gets close to the fire.

“Ummm… no, we were just… talking!” says Dylan, all nervous like he was caught doing something wrong.

“Yeah… we were just talking,” says Alice, also nervous.

“Yeah… I can see that.  Anyway, I caught 2 rabbits... that’s going to be our dinner for tonight, so here.”  Ellie threw the rabbits to Dylan to catch.  You know the deal, one hunt the other cook, so start to clean them up.

“Yeah, right, but sometimes I hate this parts” says Dylan, standing up.

“I can help if you want?” says Alice, standing up with him.

“Sure, you can take one and I can clean the other... well, that is, if you don't have any problems with that,” says Dylan, looking at her, waiting for the answer.

“What!... do you think that I can`t do this because I'm a woman?” says Alice, a little offended.

“No!... of course not, I just think that you could find this a little disgusting.” says Dylan, trying to not make her angrier.

“Well… this doesn't bother me.  My brother and I traveled a lot out there, you know.” Alice says

while she walks beside Dylan and hits him softly with her arm.

“Okay, maybe you can tell me later what else you and your brother did?” asks Dylan, moving himself toward his backpack.

“I don't want to talk about that right now, if that’s okay with you,” says Alice with a sad expression.

“Hey... it’s okay, you don't need to talk about him if you don't want to,” says Dylan while he takes a knife out of his backpack and gives it to her.

“Thanks, it’s just... You know,” Alice says to him, and then she lowers her head.

“It’s okay, you don't have to tell me anything.  I can't tell you much about me either, so I think it’s fair.”

Both of them go and sit by the fire, and start to open and clean the rabbits.  Ellie goes outside to bring more water for her to clean herself from the blood that she still has on her.  She looks at them when she gets to the door and tries not to remember when she and Joel did the same thing, when they went hunting.   

Ellie opens the door and goes outside.  It’s cold, so she moves quickly to the waterhole.  When she gets there, Ellie takes the bucket and lowers it into the waterhole to bring some water up.

_“You shouldn’t be jealous of him... it’s a good thing that he found someone,”_ says the voice.

“You`re not going to leave me in peace, are you?” Ellie asks the voice while she brings the water

_“I’m always going to be in your mind… until you let me go, kiddo.”_

“I just need the real Joel, not a memory of him,” says Ellie with some tears in her eyes.

_“You`re not safe out here -- you need to go back to Jackson while you still can.  You did a good thing for the kid, but it’s time for you do something for yourself.”_

“I don't understand… you want me to go back?  But you said that I need to follow my heart.”

_“You need to let me go, kiddo... go back and continue with your life,”_ says the voice.

“I don't have a life without you.  I love you, Joel, and I’m going to find you, even if it’s the last thing I do.”

_“I know, kiddo, that’s why I'm so worried.”_

“Why did you leave me alone?  Why couldn’t you stay... you know,” says Ellie, sitting on the grass and turning her back to the waterhole.

_“I just want to protect you.  You know that, that was always my job.”_

Ellie tilts her head and looks up at the sky.  “You’re supposed to stay with me -- that was the only thing I really wanted from you,” says Ellie, but the voice is already gone.  She stays there for a while looking at the sky, with some tears falling down her cheeks.

By the time Ellie goes back inside, Dylan and Alice are sitting again by the fire with the rabbit cooking there.  She moves to the other side of the barn without saying anything.  She cleans herself up and changes her clothes.  After one hour, the dinner was ready, so they sit and eat. Dylan and Alice keep talking until they go to sleep.  Ellie stays awake for a while until she feels tired and goes to sleep, too.   

The next morning, they wake up when the sun comes out, gather their things and load up the horses, and start the journey again.  The next outpost is going to take at least 3 weeks to reach, so they're going to try to move faster to get there as soon as they can.  


	8. Lost and Found   Part-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie, Dylan and Alice found a place to rest, before they get to the next outpost. But something else is waiting out here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention. 
> 
> AN: This is going to be like a bonus post, the next one is going to be post on Sunday, like the rest of the chapter one a week. Thanks for reading this story.

**Chapter 8 : Lost and Found   Part-1**

  
  


***Two weeks later***

  


Ellie, Dylan, and Alice keep up a good pace on the road; they’re almost at the frontier of the state of Ohio.  They are closer now to the trade town that’s supposed to be in Indiana.  They travel through the forest, but since there are no places they can use to spend the night, Ellie decides to follow the highway # 90.  Now that the nights are getting colder, they need more places to stay for the duration of their journey to the town.  Taking the main road will take them more directly to their destination.  But the only problem is that the main road means more danger for them.  

Before they left the farm two weeks ago, Ellie gave her thanks to Alice for helping her with the clicker.  But even though they talked more during the two weeks together, she didn't tell Alice her real name.  She tells her that she has a personal reason for that, and that it’s better if she still just calls her Leia, at least for the time being.  They talk about Jackson, but Ellie and Dylan make a promise to not use the town name.  Ellie tells Dylan that he can give some information, but not anything that could compromise the security of the town.  He can talk about the people that live there, and how the town might be a good place for people like Alice, people that want a new start.

In the 2 ½  weeks that they’ve been traveling together, Dylan becomes closer to Alice.  Sometimes Ellie sees them kissing, which makes her a little happy for him, in a way.  Even now that Dylan and Alice want to do something more, they only make out.  Dylan talks to Alice and lets her know that they need to wait, and for now concentrate on the mission.  After a few days of sleeping outside in the wild, they find a resting place close to the road, just a few buildings close to a gas station and a small restaurant.  So now they are discussing what to do.

“So what do you think?” says Dylan, passing the binoculars to Ellie.

“Well, I don't see any movement, and we need a place to spend the night.  It’s going to get dark soon and it’s going to be cold.  According to the map, we’re close to the state border,” says Ellie after she takes the binoculars back and starts looking at the place.

“Yeah, and even with all these clothes, it’s going to get real cold tonight, and sleeping outside is going to be dangerous, too.”

“Well, I hope that we can stay here for the night, but we need to check those buildings for infected or spores nests,” says Ellie, standing up from their position and starting to walk toward the horses.

“Can I ask you something?” Dylan asks in a lower voice and moving close to Ellie.

“Sure, what about?” Ellie answers, stopping to face him.

“Alice!... I think that you noticed that… we are getting… umm you know... close, and I just… I don't know how to address the situation.  Since you’re a girl… I thought that maybe you can help me a little.”   

Ellie puts one hand over her mouth, trying to contain her laugh.  “Dude!  You're 27 and you want  love advice from me?”

“Well, you’re a girl… and I’ve never been with a woman that wants to be with me, since I’ve lived in Jackson, or ever, so I thought that maybe-- don't know, you can help?” says Dylan, a little embarrassed.

“Dylan, I think that you're doing great for now -- just be yourself.  I think that she likes you back, so you’re not going to have any problem.  Besides, she’s already been kissing you, so don't worry.  And I'm not the right person to give you love advice.  My love life is not a very good example,” Ellie says with a sad expression.   

“Oh shit, sorry, Ellie, I don't mean to--” says Dylan, trying to apologize.

“It’s okay, let's just go over there and make sure that it’s clear for us to spend the night,” says Ellie, walking away toward where they left Alice with the horses… again.

After that, the trio goes and explores the place and checks it out.  Lucky for them, there is no sign of infected or spores.  So they decide to spend the night in the little restaurant that is close to the gas station.  The night comes as soon as they finish their conversation, so they take the horses and put them in the back of the restaurant, and tie them there.  After that, they just prepare their sleeping bags, eat, and go to sleep.  

 

 (The next morning)

Dylan wakes up early in the morning; he hears the horses start to move around, agitated for some reason.  Then he starts to hear some noises too... first he thinks it’s infected, so he moves close to Alice to wake her up.

“What!... mmmnn.”  A hand is pressed on Alice’s mouth.

“Sshhh!... I heard some noises outside the building -- I think that there’s someone outside,” says Dylan, taking his hand away from Alice’s mouth.  

“Are you sure?  Because I don't hear anything.”

“Yes I'm sure, I heard the horses get agitated a few minutes ago.  Where is Ell… I mean Leia?”  

“She went to the kitchen last night to sleep there... are you sure that it’s not her outside?” says Alice, pointing to the kitchen entrance.

“I don't think so, but I can go to the kitchen and check it out, so keep your voice down just in case, okay?  Do you have your gun?” asks Dylan, looking around where they were sleeping.

“No, I left the gun in the bag that we got from the horse last night, remember?”

“Okay… so where is the bag?” asks Dylan, a little desperate now.

“The bag is on one of the front tables… oh!  Don't give me that look now -- you said you were going to get it before you went to sleep,” says Alice, giving Dylan a hard look now.

“Yeah, but I didn't tell you to put the gun in there, you need-- oh forget it.  Here, take mine, just stay here and watch the door.  I’ll go to the kitchen and check if-- Leia is still sleeping.”  After that, Dylan moves slowly toward the kitchen to see if Ellie is there.

When Dylan enters the kitchen, Ellie’s sleeping bag is there, but he hasn't found any sign of Ellie in there.  He moves toward the back door that’s in the kitchen, but it’s still sealed the same way it was last night when they checked it, so he knows that Ellie didn't leave the place that way.

“Shit… girl, where’d you go-- fuck!” Dylan stops when he hears some people talking in the back of the restaurant.

“Hey, Paul, look what we found here,” says a man, getting close to the horses.

“Shit… I haven't seen one of those in years.  How do you think they got here, umm?” says another man.

“They didn’t come here by themselves -- they’re tied up, so that means that there has to be at least two people around here.  Where are Rodrigo and Ben?”

“They’re checking the other two buildings on the other side, and the boss is with Ana in the gas station,” answers the other man.

“Okay, did you check inside the restaurant?”

“No, that was… the new guy’s job… I forget his name.”

“Don't be so stupid -- if the boss wants this place checked, just do it, don’t wait for the others to do it for you.  Okay, I’ll check inside, and you stay here and keep an eye on the horses; we can use them later.”

Dylan hears the other man walking around toward the front of the place, so he needs to act quickly.  He walks slowly toward the table in front of the counter, where Alice is.  

“Hey!  What’s going on?  I heard some noises in the front... and where is your sister?” says Alice as soon as Dylan gets to her side.

“She’s not here, and I don't see her bag, or her weapons, but I think we have a more serious problem... there are some people outside -- and I don't think they’re the good kind.”

“So what are we going to do?  The back door is blocked, and there’s some of them in the front.  And we need to know where your sister went” says Alice, trying to stay calm.

“We need to hide first… there’s like 5 or 6 of them.  We can't fight them all in here.  Did you get your backpack?” asks Dylan.

“Yes, here’s your gun, but I don-” Dylan covers her mouth as soon as he hears the front door open.

“C`mon, we’ve got a better chance to hide in the kitchen,” says Dylan while he drags her to the back.

“You stupid kid, why didn't you check this place?  The boss said that we need to check all the buildings,” says a man as soon as he enters the place.

“You only gave me a bat, and I didn't know if there’s going to be some infected in here, or worse.”

“Yeah, shut up, I don't even know why the boss didn't kill you already.  We found two horses in the back.  That means that the owners have to be close.  Check that side and I’ll check the back.”

“This place is so dark, man, do you have a flashlight or something?” says the young man.

“Fuck!  You are useless -- just check and stop whining,” says the older man while he moves to the back.

“One of them’s coming this way, and there’s no place to hide back here,” murmurs Alice to Dylan.

“Yes, I know, but it’s just the two of them, and only one has a gun.  So I think that we have an opportunity to take them out, if we play this right,” answers Dylan.

“Yeah, but if they shoot at us, the other’s going to hear that and come over, and there’s only one entrance.”

“Then it’s better if we use our knife… you think you can handle that?”

“I think so.”

“Okay, I’ll take the one with the gun, you go to the other side and take the other one, okay?” says Dylan, moving slowly toward the entrance of the kitchen.

The man with the gun is moving close to the kitchen when he hears the other one talk.  “Hey, there’s some sleeping things in here.”

“Great, that means that they were sleeping in here -- or maybe they’re still in here.  Hey, I know that you’re in here -- we found your horses in the back.  So it’s better for you two to come out now, and maybe we’ll take it easy on you,” says the older man.

Dylan is going to take advantage of the poor illumination of the place, since it’s a little early in the morning and the front windows are all covered up with some wood panels.  Then Dylan jumps at the guy with the gun, who is a little surprised by the attack and can't point the gun at Dylan in time.  As Dylan tries to stab the man with his knife, the guy acts quickly and blocks him.  When Dylan starts to struggle with the guy, he tries to get the gun out of the man’s hand, but the gun fires, and the bullet goes in the direction of the young man.  The bullet misses the young man as he throws himself to the floor and goes behind a table.  After that, Dylan pushes the gun out of the man’s hand, then he takes the other guy’s hand and twists it so Dylan can hold his arm behind the guy.  Then he puts his knife at the throat of the guy.  Dylan is about to cut it, but stops when the front door is opened violently, and two people enter the place with guns in their hands.   

At the other side of the restaurant, Alice is about to hit the young man in the head with a pipe she found in the kitchen.  When she sees another man and a woman entering the place violently and pointing their guns at Dylan, she decides to still hide and wait for the best opportunity to make her move.

“I would drop that if I were you -- we don't want to get things all messed up.  As you can see, you're outnumbered,” says the new man that entered the place.

“Maybe I am, but I'm sure that I can take a few of you with me.  Okay, we can try to kill each other, or maybe we can make a deal, and everyone can get out of this alive.  What do you think?”

“Ha,ha,ha,” the man starts to laugh at him.  “You have some balls, I can give you that, but right now, you don't have a gun, so that’s why you don't have anything to make any deals, boy.”

“There’s...  another one... in here, boss,” says the man that Dylan is holding in front of him.  

“Yeah, it’s true, we found 2 horses in the back,” says another man when he enters the room.  

“Oh, well in that case, it’s better for this person to show up now, before we start to shoot at his partner over here,” the old man says as he makes the others point their guns at Dylan and his hostage.

“You’re mistaken -- there’s no one else in here, it’s just me.  Look, I don't want any trouble, so why don’t we just talk about this, okay?  You want to take my things?  Go ahead, you can take whatever you want.  You can even take one of-- Ahhhh!” Dylan screams when the old man shoots him in the leg.

The man that he has as hostage takes advantage of the situation: he turns around and pins Dylan against the wall that is behind them.

“Okay, if the other one’s not here, let’s finish this.  Ana, just shoot him in the head and let’s move out of here, okay?” orders the old man, looking at the woman of the group.  The woman moves close to Dylan and is about to shoot when a voice can be heard from the back of table.   

“NO!... please, don't kill him… I give up,” says Alice while she stands up from her hiding place.

“Well… well, so you were alone here, umm.  I'm glad that your girlfriend here wants to protect you.  The question is, what are we going to do with the both of you now?” says the old man, looking at Dylan and then at Alice.     

“I have an idea... the girl can give us some entertainment, and we can let her boyfriend watch,” says the man that is holding Dylan now.  

“If any of you touch her, I swear I’m going to-- uhhhh,” Dylan stops talking when the man holding him punches him in the stomach.

“Calm down, guys, we have all day to play -- we don't need to rush things here.  Hey kid, bring her here, and you!  Go outside and check why Rodrigo and Ben aren’t coming back here yet,” orders the older man.

As soon as the man that was ordered to go outside goes through the door, the younger man grabs Alice by the arm and brings her close to the old man.   

“Please -- he’s bleeding, just let me put some bandages on to stop that, or he’s going to die… please!” pleads Alice as she is pushed close to the old man.

“Ha, ha… girl, him bleeding out is the least of your concerns -- you should be worried about what we’re going to do w--” The man is interrupted by the sound of a gunshot outside.

“What the hell was that?” asks the man holding Dylan.

“I thought you said there were only two of them,” says the woman now.

“Okay, you two, you are going to tell me who else is out there, or I’m going to kill you right now…” As soon as the man finishes speaking, a cracking sound is heard as one cylinder hits the floor of the room and starts to release smoke.  “What the hell?”

The room quickly starts to fill with smoke, and all the people inside start to cough. “Grab them!” yells the old man as he covers his face and tries to move around.  A few moments later, an arrow passes through the doorway and hits the old man in the back.  Dylan moves quickly against the man holding him, kicking him in the balls, then gets down to the floor and grabs his knife.

Alice sees that the young man is distracted by the smoke and moves her hand quickly to get her gun out from beneath her shirt, where she’s hiding it.  Then she shoots the man in the back.  The other woman hears the shot and shoots back, but Alice throws herself down, and the bullet misses.  Now nobody can see anything, so everybody starts shooting everywhere.  

When the shooting stops and the smoke starts to clear, Alice stands up and goes toward Dylan, who is sitting on the floor.  She quickly checks to see if he is okay, and puts pressure on the wound in his leg.  She asks him if he’s okay after she turns around and sees that all the rest are on the floor, dead.  A few minutes later, Ellie enters through the doorway and sees that Dylan and Alice are close to the kitchen.  Ellie asks them if they’re okay, and Alice answers that she’s fine but that Dylan is wounded.  Ellie starts to walk toward them quickly, but she stops when someone grabs her leg.  Then she sees that it’s the old man that she hit with the arrow before.

“You… b-bitch… you… are… just a kid… how did this… fucking… happen, how did you manage to kill us?” says the old man, spilling blood from his mouth.

Ellie just gets down on one knee, and gets close to the man and whispers to him.  “Because you, and people like you... the only thing that you know to do is fuck other people up.  I'm just sick of it, and no one is going to stop me from getting back what I lost.”

“You… all are going to die… soon, this is not over,” says the man with his dying breath.

“Oh, if you’re talking about the other two men you sent out there, I can tell you that they’re not coming back for you.”  After that, Ellie gets up and leaves the man to die alone.  Then she goes and checks to see if all the others are dead, too.

After Ellie finishes, she goes and kneels in front of Dylan and Alice.  “How is he?” she asks Alice when she sees that Dylan is almost unconscious.

“He’s lost a lot of blood... I tried to stop the bleeding, but this asshole didn't let me treat him quick enough.”

“Okay, I need to stop the bleeding and get the bullet out… go and get the medical pack -- it’s on my horse, and check that those assholes didn't do anything to them,” orders Ellie.   

“Okay, but how are you going to get the bullet out?” asks Alice while she’s getting up.

“I was a nurse at the place we came from… well, something like that,” answers Ellie.

After a few minutes, Alice comes back with the med kit that Ellie needs.  Then she helps Ellie get Dylan on one of the tables.  After that, Ellie starts to cut Dylan’s pants where the wound is.  Then she asks Alice to put a cloth over Dylan’s mouth and hold him.

“Hold him tight, this is going to hurt… a lot,” warns Ellie after she sterilizes her knife and starts to work on him.

 

(two hours later)

Lucky for Ellie, the bullet isn’t too hard to extract, and didn't hit the principal artery.  He lost a lot of blood, but not a fatal amount.  When she finishes with Dylan, she and Alice move the dead bodies out of the restaurant.  Ellie tells Alice to take care of the horses while she goes and checks the surroundings to be sure there’s no more bandits close by.

After a few hours, Ellie comes back, and Alice has already made something to eat.  The two girls start to eat at one of the tables, none of them saying anything, then Alice breaks the silence.

“Why did you leave?” asks Alice.

“What?” Ellie stops eating and looks at her.

“This morning, when those men arrived, you weren’t here.  Also, we could’ve died… after you started shooting with all of us inside, especially your brother.  Well, that is, if he is really your brother.  I know that I promised Dylan that I wouldn't ask any questions, but if our lives are going to be at risk, I need to know who I can trust.”

“Look, I don't think this is the time for this.  I didn't ask for you to come with us.  Look, I'm glad that you and Dylan have something; that’s a good thing.  But I'm not here to make any friends, and if you don't trust me, that’s fine with me.  But if it wasn’t for me, you two would be dead right now.”

“Yeah, I can see that you don't like anyone, and you are only, what... 18?  And you killed all those men without any remorse?  From what I can see, I don't doubt now that you can take care of yourself, but that’s not good for a young girl like you.  We need to do this together, or someone is going to die next time.”

“Yeah, well, that is a risk that you took when you decided to come with me.  And about me -- I survive out here because I do what has to be done,” says Ellie while standing up from the table.

“Look, I don't want to sound ungrateful.  I know that Dylan and you are looking for someone, and I know that he is very important to you, I understand that.  But I like Dylan very much, and even if you don’t believe it, you too -- and I don't want anything to happen to him or you.”

“Thanks, and thanks for taking care of him, I really appreciate that.  I'm sorry that things are getting so complicated now.  And I'm sorry that I can’t tell you everything about us, but for now, it’s better that way.  Now I need to go outside and do something.  You stay here and keep an eye on him, will you?”  

“Okay, don't worry, I’ll take care of him,” answers Alice.

“Thanks.”  That is the last thing Ellie says before she leaves the restaurant.

  
  


**To be continued...**

  
  
  
  



	9. Lost and Found   part - 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the fight with hunters, Dylan is injured, so now Ellie have to decide, what to do next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 9 : Lost and Found   part - 2**

  


***Two days later***

 

I wake up in the middle of the night.  I hear some noise outside the restaurant. But everything is dark; I can't see anything beyond my face.  I stand up and look at the booths in front of the kitchen.  Dylan is supposed to be in one of them, but I can't see him.  I start to call for Alice in a lower voice, but she doesn't answer.  It seems like there’s someone out there.  I try to find my gun and my knife; I always keep them close to me, but I can't find them.  I hear the noise again, this time coming from the front door, so I start to search for the flashlight.  

Why can't I find anything?  It seems like Alice and Dylan are gone, but where did they go?  Dylan can't walk, and I don't think that Alice went out alone during the night.   _Click.. Click… click…_ Fuck!  It’s a fucking clicker, just what I need right now… where is my fucking gun when I need it?  I hear the sound again, closer this time.  I think the clicker is at the front door, so I need to do something, and without my gun, there’s not much I can do.  I try to find something in the kitchen... there has to be something in here that I can use as a weapon.   

Fuck!  There’s nothing in here, so now what?  I look at the front door and see that it’s starting to open.  It’s too dark to see what it is, but there’s something standing at the door’s entrance, _click… click…_ I hear that fucking sound again.  I’ve killed clickers before, so why do I feel so scared now?  Maybe because those other times I had a gun and… Joel.  Shit!  That thing just entered the building and started to walk close to the kitchen... I need to hide, but where?  I need something to kill that thing, please, I can't die before I find Joel...   

I move behind the kitchen counter, but there’s not much space to hide, _click… click…_ I can hear that fucking sound closer.  The clicker is about to enter the kitchen… shit, where is Joel when I need him… where is everybody, anyway?  I almost see that thing now -- the shadow, anyway, it’s too dark to see much.  I move my hand on the counter and touch something cylindrical… yes, it’s the flashlight.  Now maybe if I can distract that thing with the flashlight, maybe I can escape.  Those things can't see, but they can hear well, so the only thing that I need to do is throw the flashlight and run.

I was about to throw the flashlight, but something got my attention, “ _Ellie… Ellie…”_ I hear my name and it’s coming from that thing, but that was impossible -- the clicker can't talk… no one that is infected can talk.  So why did this thing say my name?  I get curious and point the light at that thing, and I can't believe what I see.  I stand up and try to run, but I don't know why I can't move... the clicker moves quickly toward me and I can't move, no, no, no… that thing moves close to me and grabs me, I can see it more clearly now, his face… no, no that can't be... Joel! He opens his mouth and starts to bite me… Aaaagggghhhh….  

“Noooooo…..” Ellie screams as hard as she can, then she sits up and opens her eyes.  She is on the kitchen floor, where she’s been sleeping for the past three days.

“Ellie… are you okay?” says a weak voice from the other side of the kitchen.

“I'm okay… Dylan, it was just a nightmare…” _shit, a bad one, too_ , says Ellie to herself.

Ellie stands up from the kitchen floor and looks at Dylan.  He is lying on one of the tables on the other side.  After Ellie moves out of the kitchen, Alice enters the restaurant, pointing her gun everywhere.

“What’s going on?... Girl, are you alright?” says Alice, lowering her gun as soon as she sees that there’ only Dylan and Leia inside.

“She’s okay… She just had a nightmare…” says Dylan from the table he is on.

“Dylan!... you- you’re awake!...” says Alice, moving quickly to him.

“Alice!  Are you okay?” asks Dylan while Alice takes one of his hands.

“Yeah… I'm fine.  You were the one that made us worry -- you lost too much blood, an--”

“Ssshhh… don't worry, it needed more than that to kill me, but I’m glad that you two are okay.  How long was I out, and what happened to those assholes?” says Dylan, trying to sit up on the table.

“Stay down -- you’re still weak, and you need to get your strength back,” says Alice, pushing him slowly back down on the table.

“You’ve been out for two days, and for the fuckers that tried to kill us... they're all dead,” says Ellie when she gets close to him.

“Yeah, that’s some crazy shit, Ellie, but thanks.  Alice, can you give us some time alone?” says Dylan, looking at her now with a pleading face.

“Yeah… sure, I’ll go out and get more water from the little stream we found yesterday.”

“Thanks… for saving my life.”

“I'm not the only one that you need to thank for that, but I know that you two need to talk about all that… so see you later, okay?” says Alice, then she leans over and gives him a small kiss on the mouth.  After that, she walks out of the restaurant.

“Wow… who can argue with that,” says Dylan, looking at Alice’s ass while she walks out of the restaurant.

“Well, I'm glad that you feel better, dude,” says Ellie as she stands next to him now.

“Ellie, are you okay?... what happened to you, because you weren’t here when those men attacked us.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.  I couldn't sleep that night, so I went out for some air, and after a while, I saw a few men walk into some of the buildings.  I followed them, and when they entered one of the buildings, I killed one of them and wounded the other one,” Ellie starts to explain.

“Shit… Ellie, you are starting to be like him… but maybe sometimes that’s a good thing.  What happened after that?” asks Dylan.  “I don't remember much after that fucker shot me in the leg, and the room got full of smoke.”

“Well, I asked the other guy how many there are, and what they were doing here.  He told me, and I left him there to die.  Then, lucky for us I took my bow and my backpack with me -- I still have the last of the smoke bombs, and when I was on my way here, I heard a gunshot.”

Ellie continues talking about what happens next, and how she has to take the bullet out of his leg… also, what Alice and Ellie did in the two days he was out.  When Ellie finishes, Dylan is surprised by all the things she had to do.

“Ellie, I know that you miss Joel, and that he’s very important to you, but we’ve been here for almost 4 months now.  Do you really think you’re going to find him?  And look at you now -- you’re just 18, and look at all the things you’ve done by now.  I don't think that this is what Joel wanted for you,” says Dylan with a sad expression.

“Don't worry about me.  As soon as we get to that town and find Bill, I'm sure that we can find Joel more quickly,” says Ellie, looking at the door to see if Alice has come back.

“Don't pretend to be okay in front of me, because I know that you're not.  You’re still having nightmares, and all this killing... not only the infected, but also all those bandits and hunters... it’s affecting you,” says Dylan now, a little worried.

“Dude, if you’re trying to convince me to go back, you’re wasting your time.  I left Jackson to find Joel, and I'm not going to stop now,” says Ellie, moving away from Dylan.

“Ellie, we tried, but this is getting more dangerous every day -- we almost died a few days ago. Do you really think that all of this is worth it?”

“Look, I'm sorry that you got caught up in all this, but I need to do this, so if you want to go back to Jackson, go ahead.  But I'm going to continue this until--”

“You die?  Or one of us does?... Look, I’m not going to abandon you, okay, but let's make a deal, okay?  Let's go to that town and find that Bill guy.  But if he doesn't know where Joel is, we go back home… okay?”

“Dylan, I don't think that--” Ellie is interrupted.

“Is that a deal or not, because if you insist on this, I`m going to take you back to Jackson and tie you up if I need to… Ellie?”

“…. Fine, but if he knows where he is, we continue… deal?”

“Okay, deal.  Now did you or Alice make something to eat?  Because I could use some food right now.”

“Yeah… sure, there’s something from last night,” says Ellie, walking toward the kitchen

After Ellie gives Dylan some food, Alice comes back one hour later with some water for drinking and to clean themselves up a little, too.  When the dark comes, Ellie tells them that she is going to do the first watch.  Since Dylan can't move for several days, the trio has to stay in the restaurant for a few days.  And that doesn't make Ellie very happy, but she knows that Dylan needs to get better first.

 

(The next morning)

Alice wakes up when the first light hits the place.  She quickly goes and checks on Dylan to see if he is okay.  He’s still sleeping, so she decides to go to the kitchen and see if Ellie is awake.  When Alice gets there, she sees that Ellie isn’t there, and all her things are gone, too.  Then she goes out and walks to the back to check if the horses are still there.  When she arrives at the back, she sees that there’s only one horse in there, so she quickly goes back inside to wake up Dylan.    

“Dylan!... Dylan, wake up!” says Alice, shaking Dylan to wake him up.

“What the hell!... is something wrong?” says Dylan, still sleepy.

“It’s… your sister… or whoever… she isn't here, and her horse is gone, too.”

“What do you mean she’s not here?... did you check the kitchen?…  maybe she went hunting, or... check the other places.  Just check to see if she left something that tells us where she went.  Did you find a paper or something?”

“Yes, I checked in there and she’s gone -- I can't see her backpack, either… wait, there’s something on the counter.”  Quickly Alice moves toward the counter and sees that there’s a note on there.

“Hey, there’s a note here,” says Alice, taking the piece of paper in her hands.

“Okay, bring that to me,” says Dylan as he gestures with his hand for Alice to come to him.  Then he starts to read the piece of paper when she gives it to him.

 

_Dylan_

_Sorry I have to do this, this way. I even hated when Joel did it to me, so I don't blame you, if you get mad. I know that we made a deal yesterday, but it’s going to be hard for me to do it. I know that this is getting hard and dangerous for all of us. But now you need time to recover, and you can't continue like this. Even if you can ride, you will be unable to walk well for some time and that is going to be more dangerous for us, if you continue with me in that condition. I know that you want to protect me and not let me go alone, so that is why I need to continue with this alone now. I'm glad that you came with me to help me and take care of me, I thank you for that. But I need to do this, there is no turning back now. I need to find him, and I need some answers, or I'm not going to be in peace until I find them. I left you a map that I found at the gas station, and marked the best route for you and Alice to go to Jackson. Take her there, she is a good woman, and I think what she feels for you is real and you deserve a good life too. I'm going to find Joel and find my answers and bring him back if I can. Tell Tommy and Maria that I`m okay and that I will try to come back as soon as I can... with Joel. I left two more letters with your horse; one for Tommy and Maria and the other for Jenna, give it  to them when you get back. Take care of yourself and Alice, and don't worry about me, I'm going to be fine, goodbye and good luck._

_Always your little sister_.

                                                                                                                

“Fuck… girl, why did you have to do that,” says Dylan, lowering the paper after he finishes reading it.

“Wow, maybe we can catch her if we go after her -- she’s just a girl, we can't let her go alone like that,” says Alice, worried.  

“As much as I want to go after her, she’s right: I can't ride a horse for a few days, and even so, she took the map we have and I don't know where that town is.”

“So we aren’t going to do anything?  You’re going to let her go alone out there... she is only 18, and out there is no place for an 18-year-old girl.”

“Yeah, I know, but there’s a lot about that girl that you don't know. Don’t worry, she can take care of herself, she is going to be fine.”   _I hope so._

 

***Two months later***

 

***Winter***

 

The winter has been a little hard, now that the month of February has started.  Now that Ellie is in Minnesota, the climate is harder and colder; being in a northern state during winter is not a good idea.  Ellie is standing on a cliff in the middle of the forest, looking now at an old cabin in the distance with her binoculars.  A little smile forms on her face when she sees the smoke coming from the chimney; so that means that someone is living in there.  She only hopes that the information she got is correct and that the person living in there is the one she’s been looking for. Suddenly her smile fades when she hears a few shots coming from the cabin.  She quickly lowers the binoculars and checks her guns. Then she starts running toward the place.  Since the cabin is a little far, it’s going to take a little time to get there; she only hopes that she can get there in time.

 

(One hour later)

“How about that, old man, do you like that… ummm?” says a man standing in front of Joel.

Spfff… Joel spits some blood at the floor. “If you call that a punch, we could be here all day,” says Joel, looking at the man now.

“Oh, you think that you are so rude, ummm? You are going to pay for the men you killed, you traitor,” says the man as he hits Joel again in the face, harder.

“Shit… I think you’re going to break your hand… before you start hurting me,” says Joel, smiling at the man.

“Well… maybe I can take that smile off your face, wise guy.  How about I use this?” Then the man takes out a big knife and shows it to him.

“Maybe it’ll be… better for you… if you just kill me with that.  Because if you don't, I'm going to kill _you_ with it,” says Joel, looking at him more seriously.    

“Oh... yeah, I’d like to see that.”  The man moves close to the chair where Joel is tied up.  He stops when he hears the door open and his boss enters the room.

“That’s enough!  Fred, I need him alive -- for now,” says a woman as she enters the cabin.

“Well... well, if it ain’t the princess in person… it took you longer to find me… this time, don't you think?  Phfff,” says Joel while he spits more blood at the floor in front of her.

“Yeah... you are hard to find… Hunter… well, if that’s your real name,” says Amber.

“Well, it’s hard to stay in one place… when someone is after you, and trying to kill you.”  

“You wouldn't have been running if you hadn't betrayed my father and killed his men.”

“Sorry… but I don't kill innocent people in cold blood… just for the pleasure of doing that,” says Joel.  

“Innocent?... there are no innocent people in this world and you know that.  Those people were Fireflies, and I know that you want to kill them, so why did you betray my father for that?”

“They weren’t Fireflies -- those people were just slaves, working for them.  And when killing women and children is the best thing for the general.”

“We have to make some sacrifices for the greater good, but I think that you want to eradicate the Fireflies... you will understand,” says Amber while she moves away from him.

“Yeah… all of you said that:  first the military and the government, later the Fireflies, and now the new free world… I just think that all of you are the same.  Besides, I was just looking for one man.”

“Yeah, yeah… the man that you want to kill, and you didn't even tell us why.  Well, that is too bad for you… and now you’re going to regret all that you did, especially what you did to me.”

“Oh for the love of… you are still upset, because I don't want to do anything with a crazy bitch like you?” says Joel.

“Nobody talks to the boss like that, you fucker.”  And with that, the man who is close to Joel punches him in the face several times again.

Then the man takes a pipe from the hands of the other man in the room and hits Joel in the chest.  Joel starts to cough, and spits more blood on the floor.  The man is about to hit him again when he’s stopped by Amber.

“What the hell are you doing… are you trying to kill him?  I already told you that I need him alive.”

“Maybe… you need to train them… better… if you want your dogs to listen to you.”

“Fuck!... Hunter… I just want to save you from a lot of pain, and you’re making that so difficult,” says Amber, getting close to him now.

“Save your act for another person… don't make me laugh.  So what do you want, princess!... I know that the only reason I’m not dead yet is… because you need something from me.”

“Oh, you see, Hunter… you know me so well… we could have something special.  But you   decided to betray us, and my father is not happy with that.  And after he decided to send some men to find you, I decided to come, too.” 

“Fuck!... What do you want from me?  I know that you didn't come all this way because you miss me.  And besides, whatever it is, you’re not going to get anything from me.  So it’s going to be better if you just tell the asshole beside me to kill me with his knife.  That way, maybe I can die in peace,” says Joel, turning his head away from her.  

“You always were so impatient.  All that is going to come in good time, but before that, you’re going to tell me... where is the immune girl?” says Amber while she grabs his face, making him look at her.  

Joel just looks at her with wide-open eyes, like he’s just seen a ghost when she mentions the immune girl.   _Ellie… my Ellie!  How does this bitch know about her?_.

“Who?” asks Joel, trying to act like he doesn’t know anything.

“Oh, don't try to act like you don't know who I mean… Umm, you must be wondering how I know about her, right?  Okay, let me tell you.  After you disappeared, my father decided to send some men after you.  I wanted to find you too, so I took some of the men with me and went looking for you.  When I finally found you at that little place in Nebraska... I just needed to find someone that knows you,” Amber starts to explain while she moves away from him and starts to walk around.

“You wasted your time.  I don't know what the fuck you’re talking about.  I don't know any girl--” he stops when the man with the knife hits him in the face again.

“Ssshhhh!... it’s bad manners to interrupt someone when they’re talking.  So where were we, oh yes, I just wanted to know why you were so dedicated to find this Firefly leader, so badly.  So I went and found one of their Firefly camps, and when I interrogated one of the survivors there, he told me about how a group of renegade Fireflies are looking for immune people to do some experiments, and try to find a cure for them,” Amber continues explaining to Joel what she did to try to find the Firefly leader.  

 

(Outside of the cabin)

“Hey… you have another one?” says a man coming beside a guy that is lighting a cigarette.

“What are you doing here?... you’re supposed to be watching the other side of the cabin.”

“Watching what? The old man lives here alone.  We haven't found anyone else in the cabin.  So why are we out here, in this fucking cold, while the others are inside?” asks the man while he tries to stay warm.

“Because the boss says so.  She doesn't want any surprises, after that old man just killed 4 of our men.”  

“Yeah… but I'm freezing out here -- just give me one of those, okay?”

“Shit!... why do you always complain so much?  Here -- this is the last one.  Next time, get your own,” says the man while he takes one cigarette from his pocket and gives it to him.

“Thanks!... I really appreciate it.” The man grabs the cigarette and puts it in his mouth.  And as he’s about to ignite, it -- _swooop_ \-- something hits him in the the middle of his chest.

“What the fuck?” says the other man as he sees his partner fall to his knees then down to the ground, dead.

The man stays, looking at his dead partner, then he pulls his gun out and starts to look at his surroundings to see if he can find where the arrow that hit his partner’s chest came from.  It’s starting to get dark, and it’s snowing a little.  

“Who are you?” asks the man while he tries to see who shot the arrow. “Look, I know that you’re out there, so why don’t you just come out?  It’s going to be better for you,” says the man, moving around with his gun.

As soon as the man says that -- _Swooop_ \-- another arrow flies through the air and strikes its target.  After a few minutes, Ellie approaches the man that is now on the ground with an arrow in his chest.

“What… the hell?” says the man when he sees Ellie.

“That’s not going to matter for you in a few minutes, so it’s going to be better for you if you tell me how many men are inside the cabin?” asks Ellie while she gets close to the man.

 

(Inside the cabin)

“Now, you see, Hunter... well, if that is your real name.  Anyway, the leader of the ex-Fireflies  didn't say the name of the old man who was traveling with the girl, but the description he gave me was close to yours.  Also, he gave me the name of the girl.  Now my father wants you dead, but the Fireflies are offering me a better deal for you and the girl.  So if you want to live, you better tell me where she is?”  

“I didn’t know that you were that stupid.  You’re going to believe all the stupid crap that the Fireflies have been saying for years?  There is no cure -- that’s just bullshit that they use to convince people to join them.  And anyway, what’s your father going to say when he finds out that his daughter is making a deal with the Fireflies?”

“Well, I don't hear you denying anything... and from the look on your face, I know that they told me the truth about the girl.  As for what my father’s going to say, I don't care anymore.  He’s just an old man that is wasting his time in a war that he can't win, so I-- what the fuck was that?” Amber asks when she hears someone scream outside.

“Sounds like... Steve,” says one of the men while he moves and tries to look through the window.

“You!... Go outside and check what the hell those two morons are doing out there.  And you -- give me your knife?” says Amber, pointing to the guy close to the door.  After that, she turns around and takes the knife from the other man.

“Yes, boss,” says the man, then he grabs his gun and opens the door to go outside.

“Sorry for the interruption, honey, and I hope that they just saw a deer, or this is going to be a little messy,” says Amber, lowering herself to his side and kissing him on the cheek while she passes the knife she has in her other hand over his chest.

A few minutes later, the front door opens violently, while one person enters the cabin with a rifle in her hand.

“Move your fucking hand away from him… you bitch!”


	10. Joel & Ellie Reunite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally Ellie journey is over, after almost 6 mount on searching, she finally found him. But what is going to happen next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 10 : Joel & Ellie Reunite**

  
  


Ellie is pointing her rifle at the woman beside Joel… the woman with a knife in her hand.  Joel and the woman look at her as soon as Ellie opens the door and says those words. “ _Move your fucking hand away from him… you bitch”_  But right now, it’s like everyone is frozen in time.  Nobody says anything, they just stay there, looking at her.  Ellie’s heart starts beating so fast that it feels like she is going to pass out.  Ellie can’t believe that Joel is there, _her Joel, alive,_ but then she sees that his hands are tied up behind the back of a chair and his face is all bloody.  Even after 2 years without seeing him, all that she’s suffered back in Jackson after he left… after all that happened to her in the last 6 months, all that she did when she was out there looking for him, she can’t believe that she finally found him.   

Yes, she is mad at him; she needs to confront him later for leaving her alone in Jackson.  But more than that, she need answers -- not only for leaving her, but also for what he did in the hospital, and lying to her.  But all that can wait for now, because she’s not going to let these people kill him.  No matter what he’s done, she still needs him.  After a few moments, Ellie hears Joel talk.

“Ellie?” says Joel, with one eye open, and looking at Ellie like he’s just seen a ghost.  

“You know her?” Amber says, looking at Joel, and then she looks at the girl standing in front of the door.  “Who the hell are you?” Then Amber points the knife at Joel while the man on the other side of Joel prepares his gun to shoot.  

“The person that’s going to kill you, if you don't move away from him right now,” says Ellie with a furious voice.

“Well, I don't know who you are, little girl, but if you don't lower your gun, I’m going to kill him. And I don't think you want that, do you?  And if you came with someone else, you’d better tell them to surrender too,” says Amber, now pressing the knife to Joel’s neck.

“You are the one that is going to surrender, because all the men you had outside are dead,” says Ellie, trying to scare the woman.

“Even if what you're saying is true, you’re not going to get out of here alive... so drop your gun or… wait a minute… you!… your name is Ellie?  Shit, you’re the... immune girl!... fuck!  This is my lucky day.  And I assume that you’re alone, right?  I don't know how you killed my men, but I definitely don't need them to get you.  Sorry, Hunter, or whatever your name is... it was a pleasure to pass the time with you.  But business is business, and I don't think that I need you anymore.  He wants to kill you himself, but I don't have a way to take you and the girl with us, so this is goodbye.”  Amber moves her hand to stab Joel with the knife, but she doesn't have the opportunity when Joel stands up from the chair, throws himself at her, and pins her on the floor.

“ELLIE!... RUN!” Joel yells at Ellie while he stays on top of Amber and tries to stop her from getting up.  Then Amber tries to break free.  While she struggles with Joel, Ellie tries to point her rifle at her, waiting for the opportunity to shoot her.  The man on the other side sees his chance and points his gun at Ellie.  When he is about to shoot, he hears his boss telling him not to kill the girl, but it’s too late.  The man is about to pull the trigger of his weapon and shoot at Ellie, but Ellie looks at him when she hears Joel yell at her, “Ellie, watch out!”  Ellie then points her rifle at the man and shoots.  Even as the man tries to move out of the way, Ellie is so close that the bullet hits him in the head, blowing his brains out.

Amber pushes Joel away from her and stabs him in the arm with the knife.  While he screams from the pain, Ellie notices the situation and tries to reload the rifle, but the woman stands up and takes the pipe that her men were using to hit Joel, and jumps at Ellie.  Ellie blocks the pipe with the rifle when Amber tries to hit her with it.  But Ellie`s gun is overthrown from her hand, so Ellie moves backward when the woman tries to hit her again.  Then Ellie takes out her pocketknife and points it at the woman.

“You don't have an escape, girl, he can't help you, and you are no match for me.  So why don’t you do yourself a favor and surrender?” says Amber, now circling the young girl.

Ellie has to think of something.  Even though she has grown in the past two years, this woman is stronger than her, and has more experience.  And of course, the woman has a big pipe in her hand... but Ellie is not going to give up so easily.

_What would Joel do in a situation like this?_ He’d probably go and bust the head of this woman in a few seconds, but for her, that’s going to be more difficult to do.

“C’mon, girl, you don't have any choice -- surrender, or he is going to bleed to death,” says Amber, trying to make Ellie lower her guard.  

Ellie is running out of options.   _Whatever this woman wants, it’s not going to be good, and she’s probably going to let Joel die anyway if I surrender, so that’s not going to be an option,_ says Ellie to herself.

“Okay, have it your way, girl -- you’re going to lose anyway,” says Amber, launching herself at Ellie with the pipe and trying to hit her.

The fight goes on for a few minutes as Ellie evades the pipe, but the woman is quick and grabs Ellie’s hand.  Ellie hits her in her stomach with her knee, but it doesn't have much effect.  Then the woman punches her in the face, and Ellie falls down to the floor.  Ellie still has her knife in her hand.  When Ellie tries to stand up, the woman kicks her down again.

“Stay down, girl, don't make me hurt you more than I need to.  Make this easier for you and surrender... I need you alive, but not him.  Do you see, Hunter, lying to people never ends well,” says Amber, pointing at Ellie with the pipe.

“You don't have any idea on that, but too bad for you, you're not going to be around to find out how bad it can be,” says Ellie, smiling when she sees Joel moving behind the woman with a knife in his hand -- the same one that she used to stab him.  Then Joel grabs Amber from behind and stabs her in the neck.  The woman opens her eyes wide but no words come out,  just a lot of blood when Joel takes the knife out of her neck.  He sees the woman grab her neck to try to stop the bleeding, but it’s too late.  Amber falls down on her knees, and then to the floor. After that, Joel looks at Ellie.

“Ellie!  Is...is it... really you?” is the last words he says, as his vision starts to go black and he starts to fall down to the floor, too.  

_Joel!... Joel!... Joel!_  He starts to hear in his head as everything goes black and he loses consciousness.

  


***Four days later with Joel***

  
  


_I try to open my eyes, but all I feel is pain.  My head feels like it’s going to blow, and my body is worse.  I try to remember if what happened was real or a dream.  The hitting part, I know was real, because I can feel the pain from that.  But the other part, the part when I saw Ellie, my Ellie… She was here?  Trying to rescue me, again?  Like she did before, when I was captured by that guy... Michael.  But it can’t be true.  Ellie is safe in Jackson with my brother -- it’s impossible for her to be here.  I know that I’ve been thinking of her a lot more now in the past 7 months, since I had to leave those lunatics that I was working with._

_Maybe that’s it: I want to see her again so much that I dream about her, but that doesn’t explain  how I escaped or why I'm now in my bed.  I checked my body, and I have a bandage on my arm, which hurts like hell, by the way, and more on my chest._

“What the hell happened here?  I don't remember attending my wounds?” says Joel in a lower voice while he tries to sit up in the bed.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” says Ellie from the other side of the bed.

Then Joel turns his head and sees Ellie sitting in a little space in front of the window, cleaning her gun.  “Ellie?... Is it really you?... I'm not dreaming?” Joel starts to ask as soon as he sees her.  

“No, Joel, it isn’t a dream, it’s me, and as for who treated your wounds, that was me. You`re still weak because of them, so it’s going to be better if you don't try to get out of bed,” says Ellie, trying not to show too much of her emotion as she continues cleaning her gun.

Joel looks at her and tries to get up again. “Aaarrrrr…” Joel screams in pain while he lays back down on the bed again.

“I told you not to do that -- you lost a lot of blood, and need to recover from that.  Also, you have some other cuts, and 2 broken ribs.  You were lucky you didn't get any infection, or all this would be worse,” Ellie starts to explain, but she doesn’t move from the place she’s sitting.

“Ellie, what are you doing here?... you’re supposed to be in--”  Joel starts to ask when he gets interrupted by Ellie.

“In Jackson?... where you left me alone for the last 2 and a half year?” say Ellie, standing up from the window and get close to him, with her gun in her hand.

Joel, look at her and saw something different on her, something he don't see in along time, he saw: fear, anger, frustration, so he know that this is not going to be good for him.

“Ellie!… I'm sorry for what I did, but I have to go back there.  I know that you don't understand, but--”

“Understand?... UNDERSTAND?... YOU LIE TO ME, YOU BREAK YOUR PROMISE AND LEAVE ME ALONE IN THERE…” Ellie yells at him.

Ellie doesn't want to yell at him; after all, she wanted to find him, but she has all of her emotions  mixed up.  She wants to know why he left; she needs an explanation, a good reason to not be so mad right now.  But when she looks at him, with his face all messed up and in pain, she knows that today isn’t going to be the right time for that.

“Ellie, you must understand… that I had to do what I did.  I had some reasons for that.  Besides, I didn't leave you alone.  Tommy and Maria were supposed to take care of you.”

“Joel!... I'm not going to do this today, okay, even if I want some answers… but you need to recover first.  We can talk about all this later.  I was preparing some soup.  I’ll bring some for you as soon as it’s ready,” says Ellie, trying to hide her anger, and then turning around to go to the stairs.  

Joel wants to say something to her, but keeps silent.  He’s still in pain from the fight, and from the look on Ellie’s face, he can see that she’s in pain too... another kind of pain.  He watches Ellie go down the stairs and disappear, and he puts his hands on his face.   _What have I done?_  he says to himself.

 

(Two hours later)   

Ellie comes up from downstairs, and when she arrives at the top, she sees Joel sitting on the bed with one hand holding his stomach.

“What the fuck do you think you`re doing?  I told you not to get out of bed,” says Ellie, rushing to the bed and putting the soup on a table beside the bed.

“You don't understand… I don't know how you found this place, but we need to get out of here,” says Joel, trying to stand up again.

“Why, because of that crazy bitch and her men?  You don't need to worry about them -- they’re all dead, and I already disposed of the bodies,” says Ellie, getting close to him and trying to push him down on the bed.

“I’m not going to ask right now how you managed to kill the men she had outside.  But that crazy bitch ain’t the only one that was looking for me.  There are others that are going to come here soon,” says Joel.

“I don't think anyone’s going to come here for a while… a bad snowstorm started two days ago.  So no one’s going to get up here for a long time,” says Ellie, helping him onto the bed.

“Two days?... how long have I been out?” asks Joel.

“Four!” answers Ellie.

“Four days!  Shit, we need to get out of here…”  Joel says, trying to get up again, but Ellie puts her hand on his chest and stops him.

“I told you that the storm’s really bad, so no one is coming here.  Just stay in bed and get better,” says Ellie, with her hand still on his bare chest.  Then she feels something inside of her... something that she hasn't felt in a long time.   _Fuck, why do I feel like that?  Yes, I touched him when I was attending his wounds, but now... it feels so different._  She is drawn out of her thoughts when Joel says her name.

“Ellie!... are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine, just eat the soup.  I’ll bring you something for the pain later,” says Ellie while she removes her hand from Joel’s chest and starts to walk out of the room.

“Ellie, we need to talk… you shouldn’t--” Joel is interrupted.

“Not now, Joel, you need to get better.  I’m just going down to finish cleaning the blood on the floor,” says Ellie as she goes down the stairs.

After Ellie finishes cleaning the blood that was still on the floor, she goes to the kitchen.  She sits at the table as some tears start to form in her eyes.  She doesn't know what to do; all her feelings are mixed up.  She’s been waiting for this moment for the past two and a half years.  To find Joel and see him again... to have him back in her life.  But now that she’s found him, all the bad things he’s done come back to her.  He didn’t just leave her -- and even though that is the part that hurts more, he lied to her, too.  He swore to her after she woke up in that car, before they arrived at Jackson, that all he said about the Fireflies was true.

But all that was a lie.  He lived with her for almost two years in Jackson without ever telling her the truth about what he did.  He killed all those doctors and Marlene… oh... Marlene, he killed her, and she was her mother’s friend -- she was like a mother to Ellie, and he killed her.  What is she supposed to do with that?  Even though she never was very close to her, Marlene always cared for her when she was just a kid.  Now Ellie feels so confused… after more than two years without him, she has the time to think about all that.  She’s been missing him... she wants to forgive him.

But now she doesn't know what to do.  He not only killed Marlene and all those Fireflies, he condemned all humanity by destroying the only way to find a cure.  Even though Dr. Wilson told her that there was no way to find a cure with the immunity to the virus that she had.  But the doctor doesn`t have the equipment that the Fireflies have, so he can't be so sure of that.  

Ellie just sits there in the kitchen for a few hours, thinking about what to do, glad that Joel is still in bed, so he can’t come down and see her like this.   _So what do I do now,_ she says to herself.  Part of her still loves him.  God, she almost lost him.  She is even having nightmares of him dying or getting infected. And even when she finally found this place, he was about to be killed; if she hadn’t arrived here in time, he would have been.  But now, after she left Jackson and finally found him... and all the things she had to do... part of her can't forget what he did.

She needs to confront him… to ask all those questions she needs to ask.  She needs to find a reason to forgive him, if she can do that one day.  She still loves him -- if she didn’t, she wouldn't be here or do all the things she’s done. But for now, she needs to wait a little longer... give Joel some time to get his strength back -- he almost died.  And even if she feels some anger now, and doesn't know what’s going to happen between Joel and her, she never wants anything bad to happen to him.  

 

(2 days later)

Ellie sleeps on the couch again, the one Joel has in the living room.  She’s been sleeping there since she arrived.  In the morning, she wakes up tired, not sleeping much after all that happened in the few days she’s been there.  Trying to take care of Joel is hard now; her heart and mind are in a constant battle of feelings.  Ellie gets up from the couch and goes to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.  The storm continues out there, less than the day before, but still bad enough.

Ellie leaves the kitchen to wait for the food to be ready, then she goes to the window to check how bad it is outside. She’s never seen that much snow in her life, not even in Jackson in the winter.  The snow is cool in a way, but right now it’s not -- it’s getting too cold in the cabin.  That makes her think about the first winter they had in Jackson, after they arrived... those were very cold nights.  But during that time, she was sleeping in the same bed with Joel, and he always made sure that she stayed warm.  Now, thinking of that is just too painful.   _Am I ever going to have that again_? she says to herself.

After an hour, she hears Joel moaning from the pain, so that means that he is awake.  The food is ready, so she puts it on a plate and goes upstairs.  She tries not to look at him much, and just asks him how he’s doing.  It’s been like that for the past two days.  Joel doesn't say much either.  He knows that Ellie’s going to explode soon.  It’s unavoidable, so he knows that they need to talk, and that it needs to be soon.

After the day passes, Ellie goes to sleep early that night, trying to avoid Joel again, but like the night before, she can't sleep well.  This time is worse.  Joel wakes up in the middle of the night, and he can hear Ellie murmuring in her sleep. He knows that sound too well; he knows that she is having nightmares again.  So he stands up from the bed slowly.  Lucky for him, the pain in his ribs is less now.  When he gets up off the bed, he walks toward the stairs, but stops when he sees Ellie wake up abruptly.  He can see with the light from the chimney fire how she puts her hand on her face and starts to cry.  Now he sees how much Ellie is hurt from what he did.  He needs to do something now... he needs to fix what he’s done to Ellie, to the person that he loves so much.     

The next morning, Ellie opens her eyes slowly.  She feels so tired.  She had another nightmare. And after what happened when she arrived, those nightmares that she’s been having almost came true.  She’s sitting on the couch now, and rubbing her eyes.  When she opens her eyes and looks, she sees Joel sitting in front of her in the chair.  Ellie almost jumps up from the couch when she sees Joel there.

“Fuck, Joel!... you scared the shit out of me.  What are you doing down here?  You’re supposed to be in bed,” says Ellie while she tries to avoid looking Joel in the eyes.  

“I know, but I think we need to talk,” says Joel, inclining himself forward while he holds his two hands together and looks at her with a sad face.


	11. The Consequences of bad Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now Joel and Ellie have a long talk about their situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 11 : The Consequences of bad Decisions**

  
  


Ellie just stays sitting on the couch with a surprised expression on her face.  She wasn’t expecting something like this, and she’s not ready for it, either.

“Joel, you should go to bed -- you need more time to recover,” says Ellie while she tries to get up from the couch.

“I`m fine enough to talk, and we need to do that,” says Joel, stopping her from getting up from the couch.

“Then I'm not ready for this, so if you don't mind, I need to go and prepare something to eat.”

“That can wait, and we need to discuss whatever is wrong with you, so please stop pretending that everything’s okay, when we know that it’s not true.”

“So you want to talk about what is wrong with me?… Okay, let's talk now.  What do you want first… unnn?  You want to talk about what you did to me, how much you hurt me?” says Ellie, with a high voice now.  

“Ellie, I know that I hurt you, I’m not going to deny that, but you must understand that I needed to go at that time.  I had to do it to protect you, and--”   

“YOU WANT TO PROTECT ME?” Ellie yells at him. “You lied to me -- you said that you love me, and promised me that you were never going to leave me.  And what’s the first thing you do, unnn?  You break those promises, and leave me alone... do you know how much that hurt?”

“Ellie, I didn’t leave because I don't love you -- I do, but there was something I had to do to keep you safe, to keep the danger out of Jackson,” says Joel, lowering his head.

“Oh yeah, you had to do something… you just needed to go and finish the job that you started almost 4 years ago, right?” says Ellie, looking at him now with angry eyes.

“Four years ago?  What are you are talking a--”

“Don't try to deny anything, I know what you did in Salt Lake City, oh… of course, that was another lie.”

“Oh, shit… Tommy told you about that?  I was hoping to--”

“WHAT?  That he wasn't going to tell me about that either?... Fuck, Joel when are you going to stop lying?  And all those people you killed... the doctors, the nurses, and… Fuck!   You even killed Marlene… She was my mother’s friend, she was the only family I had, and you killed her,” says Ellie with some tears forming in her eyes.

“Ellie, I’m sorry, but those assholes... they wanted to kill you.  I don't know what Tommy told you, but you need to understand what they were going to do to you, and--”

“They were going to find the cure, to free this world from the virus and make all this a better place.”

“Yeah, that’s what that bit-- Marlene -- told you?... the same shit she said to all the people they killed, or wanted to join them?  I wasn’t going to let them kill you, just like that, and for what?” says Joel, trying to justify himself.

“You killed all those people, and maybe they could’ve found the cure by using me.  You knew from the beginning that that was my mission.  So what gives you the right to decide that you need to take that from me?” says Ellie, standing up from the couch and going to the kitchen.

“Ellie, you don't understand -- they were going to kill you for nothing.  They didn't wake you up to ask you if you wanted to give your life for a lost cause.  You almost drowned when you were trying to help me get out of that bus.  I tried to revive you, but they found us and knocked me out.  When I woke up a few hours later, that Marlene came to the room they were keeping me in.  She told me that to find the cure they needed to take something from your brain, and that it was going to kill you,” Joel starts to explain; he gets up too and follows her to the kitchen.

“If they could find a cure for the virus, you should’ve let them,” says Ellie, stopping at the sink.

“They don't know shit!... I was there.  I asked her to wake you up and let me see you, but she said that keeping you asleep would be better... that they needed to do what was best for all of the people.  She said that my job was done, and sent me out with an escort, and I’m pretty sure that they weren’t letting me get out of there alive.  So I decided to take you out of there, one way or another,” says Joel, stopping a few feet behind her.

“That’s the point, Joel -- that wasn’t your decision.  It’s what I wanted, I told you that when we got close to the hospital,” says Ellie as she turns around to face him.

“Yeah, you said that you wanted to finish the mission no matter what.  But they were going to kill you for nothing.”

“You don't know that, and now we’ll never know, because you killed them all.”

“Ellie, they were just experimenting.  They didn't know shit!... They didn’t even know if what you had was going to work or not.  I found some recordings that explained that they did that to other immune people they found, and it didn’t work.  They killed them too, and for nothing -- you heard what Dr. Wilson said about that.  Your immunity wasn’t enough to find a cure.”

“Yeah, but he also said that he doesn't have the right equipment to be sure about that, either.  So maybe the Fireflies had the right equipment to know for sure.”  

“That’s all a dream, Ellie.  If there was a cure for the virus, the government has more doctors and scientists, so they should’ve found the cure for the virus a long time ago.”

“Joel, I don't know if there’s a god up there, but I have… this for a reason, and it can't be for nothing, and Marlene-- why did you have to kill her?  And why didn’t you tell me all this when I woke up?  Why did you lie to me, and swear that what you told me was true?” says Ellie, with some tears falling from her eyes, and walking away from him.

“I'm sorry… that I lied to you, but I knew that if I told you what happened there, you were going to be mad at me.  Not that I don't deserve that.  But I didn't want to lose you.  I fell in love with you... at first I just thought of you as a replacement for the daughter I lost.  But after time passed, it became more than that.  And Marlene, she was going to stop me, and kill me just to keep you there.  She was going to kill you, and for what… a possibility of a cure?”   

“Even so, you should’ve told me, and the funny thing is that you said you didn't want to lose me.  But you abandoned me in Jackson to go out and try to kill more Fireflies,” says Ellie, taking her winter coat and putting it on.  

“Ellie-- where are you going?” asks Joel, following her to the front door.

“Out!-- I need some fresh air, Joel,” says Ellie, opening the door.

“Are you crazy?  It’s still snowing out there... you’re going to freeze to death if you go out,” says Joel, getting close to her to try to stop her.

“What do you care, Joel -- you just abandoned me, and from what I’ve seen here, you don't have any intention of coming back for me,” says Ellie, looking at him with some tears running out of her eyes.

“Ellie-- please, you need to understand... I was only trying to protect you.”

“Well, I don't need you for that anymore, Joel, I can take care of myself.  So why don’t you stay here alone, and don't follow me.  I need time to think,” Ellie says to him, and then she leaves the cabin and closes the door behind her, leaving Joel alone in the cabin.

 

(A few hours later)

Ellie went outside, and that is something that scares Joel a little.  Because even if the storm is light at the moment and it’s just snowing a little, he knows that it’s still cold out there.  Joel knows that she’s coming back.  She doesn't take anything with her; Ellie`s guns and things are in the living room, and with all that snow that’s been falling down for the past few days, it’s impossible to get down off the mountain.  So the only thing he can do for now is wait for her to come back to the cabin.

He knows that he fucked up the thing between Ellie and him.  And now that she knows about what happened in Salt Lake City, he needs to deal with the consequences of that.  He needs to talk to her again, but for now, he knows that she needs more time for herself.  So after she takes all this time, he will try to talk to her again.  Joel knows that all this is going to take time to fix things up, but he is going to try.  

A few minutes later, Ellie is sitting on a cliff that’s close to the cabin, just a few feet on the side.  The cabin was well-built in that place.  Whoever the person was that built it knew what he was doing.  The cabin has a cliff on one side and a mountain close to the back and the other side. There is only one trail close to the front, and it’s the only way to get up here, so the cabin is easy to defend in case of an attack.

_Joel must have been taken by surprise when those people attacked him, even though he killed five of them before I arrived.  He should be able to defend this place better.  He almost died, and  even though I'm mad at him right now, I’d be lost without him, so why is it so difficult to forgive him?  I left Jackson to find him.  All the people I killed on this journey, just to get to him… and now, here I am again, thinking about him like it’s all going to hell.  But he could be dead, if I hadn't found him in time, so why is it so difficult now just to look at him?  I know that he hurt me when he left, but I didn't stop thinking about him for the past two and a half years, so why is this so hard and painful._

Ellie just seems to be lost in her thoughts, thinking of what to do next.  Then she takes a look at what’s in front of her.   _Look at this view... wow, this part of the cliff is so beautiful: all the trees, the mountain, all of that covered with snow now... I try to imagine all this in summer time--”_  Ellie is taken out of her thoughts.

_“I hope that you’re not planning on jumping, are you?”_ says a voice _._

“Fuck!  Joel, I told you not to follow me,” says Ellie, then she turns her head and doesn't see anyone there.  “Crap!  Not this again, why is this happening?  I already found the real you, so why are you still here?”

_“I don't know-- are you asking me?”_

“Yes!... this isn’t supposed to be happening anymore, you-- you were only in my mind,” answers Ellie.

_“Well, that just means that you still have some issues to resolve.”_

“Really!... fuck!  That’s just great, and what could those be?”

_“I don't know, you’re the one that’s talking to an imaginary voice.”_

“Well, that’s great, I thought that this was going to stop when I found the real Joel, and it’s not.”

_“I can't help you with what is wrong with you, because you already know.”_

“Well, that’s the problem:  I don't know what’s wrong with me,” says Ellie while she looks at the snowy forest in front of her.

_“Well, that’s something that you need to find out, so maybe then you don't need me anymore.”_

“Well, that’s going to be great, because if I continue with this, people are going to think that I'm crazy,” says Ellie sarcastically.

_“Well, if you don't want him to think that you're crazy, it’s better for you if you go back before he comes here looking for you,”_ says the voice, then silence follows.

When Ellie doesn’t hear the voice anymore, she takes one last look at the view and gets up, then she walks back to the cabin.

 

(Next day in the afternoon)

Joel comes out of the basement.  He’s doing a food stock inventory; now that he’s not alone in the cabin and the snow hasn't let him go out to hunt, he needs to ration the food.  The winter seems to be longer this year, so the food is going to be scarce soon.  He gets close to the window in the living room, and sees Ellie outside, cutting up some wood for the chimney.  He doesn't like to see her spend too much time outside, but he knows that she needs some time alone, so Joel is giving her that.

They didn't talk much yesterday after she came back a few hours later, after the discussion.  So now it’s better if he distracts himself, and doesn't think too much of Ellie.  He notices now how much Ellie has grown up -- not only physically, but mentally, too.  She doesn't look or act like the  little girl he left behind anymore.  In some ways, maybe he’s going to miss that part a little now.  He also can see the pain in her eyes, and he knows that much of that is his doing.  After Joel finishes with the inventory, he walks to the kitchen and starts to peel some potatoes.  Then he hears Ellie enter the cabin with some wood in her hands.

“Fuck!... it’s very cold out there.  What I wouldn’t give for a hot shower right now,” says Ellie as soon as she enters the room.

She goes close to the chimney and drops the wood on the floor, then she walks toward the little kitchen that is close to the living room.  She sees Joel peeling some potatoes, and goes to sit at the little table, where Joel is.

“Do you need any help?  I can do that while you start the other things,” says Ellie, taking a potato in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other.

“Thank you for offering you help, that would be nice, and thank you for speaking to me again.  I know that you’re mad at me, and I know that I deserve that,” Joel says without looking at her.

“Yeah, well, since we’re going to be stuck here for a while, it’s logical that I help.”

“You don't need to do that.  You’ve already helped me a lot, Ellie… you even saved my life…  again.  I just want to let you know that I didn't leave because you did something wrong.  And I don't want you to think that I didn't love you, because I do, and I want you to know that,” says Joel, looking at her.

“Joel, I don't want to talk about this right now.  I just want to forget all this, but I can't.  I’m trying to understand why you did all of this, and lied to me and left me… after everything we went through, you just went,” says Ellie, trying not to look at him.

“I know that you’re not going to forget all this, but we need to get to a point where at least we can be something together.  I wish that I could give you a better explanation for what I did, but I don't have one.  I just needed to go at that time, to protect you and all the people that live there.”

“Yeah, you just decided to hurt me, because you wanted to protect me and the people of the town.  The town that you don't even know completely, and save the people there!... yeah, you only talked to... how many, 10 people in there?” says Ellie, with some anger in her voice.  

“That doesn’t even matter right now.  My brother and his wife make that town safe for people that want a new start, and I want that for you.  I can't even believe how my stupid brother let you go out of town alone, after he promised that he was going to take care of you.”    

“Seriously!... You’re going to blame your brother for breaking a promise?  And besides, he didn't have much choice.  I'm 18 now, and the town is not a prison.  Besides, he didn't let me go alone -- Dylan came with me,” says Ellie, a little calmer now.  

“Dylan?  Are you serious?  It ain’t like I don't like the kid, but he's not ready to go outside, especially going so far away from the town.  But he’s not here with you… so what happened to him?  Don't tell me that--”  

“No!  He’s not dead, if that’s what you’re thinking.  Well, at least not when I left him.”

“What!  You left him?  Where?  What happened?” asks Joel.

“He was with me for a few months, but he get wounded, so I know he can't come the rest of the way, so-- wait a second, are you trying to change the conversation?” says Ellie, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  

“I just want to know what happened to him, and how the hell you got out of Jackson and found me here.”

“Well, if you want to know why I left Jackson, it was because of you.  You left me there, after all we did together... do you know how much I cried after you left?  And what did you think was going to happen to me after Tommy told me what you did in Salt Lake City… unnn?”  

“Ellie... I know that telling you how much I'm sorry for that ain’t going to change anything.  But hurting you was the last thing I wanted to do.  But I needed to do something about this man that  was looking for us, and I needed to do it alone.”

“What man did you need to find-- umm?  Another Firefly group?  You want to kill them all -- do you know how crazy that is?  Oh yeah, I know now what you’ve been doing for the past 2 years, and you think that that’s going to change anything?”

“Ellie, I don't think you understand or know what I’ve had to do for the last 2 years.  Also, you--”

“Joel, don't you think that I know you’ve been hunting Firefly groups?  That that’s why you left me?” says Ellie, getting angry again.

“You must understand that those people are dangerous.  The man I was looking for is just a maniac.  He's been hunting people like you to do who knows what, even though he’s not a Firefly anymore.  His own people don’t want anything to do with him, and he’s still looking for you, and I had to do something.  Anyway, how do you know all that?  Tommy told you about that, too?”

“Tommy didn't tell me anything about that.  But maybe it’s going to be better for all of us if I just go to them, so they can try to find a cure for the virus,” says Ellie, looking at him.

“Don't say that, not even as a joke, Ellie.  That man doesn't want to find any cure.  This guy -- the one I’m looking for -- is responsible for the weapons that that psycho David’s brother used to attack the town.  He almost destroyed the town, and killed a lot of people there.  So yeah, I came out here to hunt him down, and if Tommy didn't tell you, how did you know?”    

“Well, you want to know how I knew?  I found out about that the same way I found you here,” says Ellie, standing up from the table.  

“How?” asks Joel.

“Remember Bill?  Well, he told me what you’ve been doing, and where to find you.”

“Bill? That motherfucker, I told him not to tell anyone about me... fuck, after I helped him,” says Joel, hitting the table with his fist.

“Don't get mad at him -- he only helped me because he didn’t have any choice.  Do you know how much I lost for coming after you?  I thought for a time that you were dead, or that you needed some help… You didn't even care what happened to me, even when I was having nightmares again... and you just left me because you want to kill a man?” says Ellie with some tears falling down from her eyes.

“Ellie!... I’m just--”

“Trying to protect me?  Yeah, you’ve been saying that since we got to Jackson.  I don't need you to protect me.  I thought we were partners... that we protect each other.  You said that you love me, and I thought that that was true.  But now I can see that that was a lie too,” says Ellie, trying not to cry in front of him.

“Ellie, I do love you, more than you think.  I never lied about that,” says Joel, standing up from the table too and starting to walk toward her.

“This isn’t fair, Joel, why I have to lose all the people I care about, why all the people I know just abandon me… I just want to be with someone who loves me, and--” she stops when Joel comes to her and hugs her, and she starts to cry in his arms.

“Ellie, I’m so sorry for all of this.  I just wanted to protect you, and didn’t see the consequences of my actions.  I can see now that I was wrong to leave.  I just wanted so much to keep you safe that I didn't think about what all this was going to do to you,” says Joel while he embraces her hard.

“Joel!... I came here to find you, because I love you, and all this time I’ve thought only of you.  So why is it so hard and painful to be close to you now?” says Ellie, burying her face in Joel’s chest while she continues to cry.

“Because I'm an asshole.  I don't blame you for hating me; I deserve that.  But I want you to know that I never stopped loving you.  The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you, and I ended up doing that.  I can see that now, and I'm really sorry for that,” says Joel with some tears forming in his eyes.

Ellie just stays there in his arms, not knowing what to do or what to think.  She’s mad at him for going and leaving her in Jackson and not coming back for more than 2 years.  He knew that the only thing she wanted was to be with him… that she finally found someone to love, and he left.  So now that she found him, what’s going to happen:  can she forgive him?  Do they go back to the way they were before?  Does he really love her the same way she still loves him?  She needs some answers to those questions… maybe in time she would have them, but for now, being in his arms again is all she needs.

“Joel?”

“Yes, kiddo!”

“There’s something I forgot to tell you,” says Ellie without separating her head from Joel’s chest.  

“What is it, kiddo?  You can tell me anything.  I want to fix all the stupid things I did.”

“You’re going to be an uncle!”

“WHAT!”


	12. Nightmares and Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie is having nightmares again and Joel try to comfort her, the best way he can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 12 : Nightmares and Comfort**

  


***Two days later in the Cabin***

  


Ellie wakes up early in the morning and goes to the kitchen to prepare some food for her and Joel.  While she’s in the kitchen, she starts to remember two days earlier, when she told Joel that he was going to be an uncle.  Ellie smiles as she remembers how Joel’s face looked when she told him -- his mouth wide open, just like he’d seen a ghost or something.  He asked Ellie if she was sure about that... he said that it wasn’t like he wasn’t happy for his brother and Maria having a baby.  He knows that they’ve been trying for a baby for several years, but now that it’s going to happen, it feels a little strange for him.  Ellie told him that Maria was 2 months pregnant when Ellie and Dylan left Jackson, so by now, the baby is going to born soon.

Ellie didn’t say much after that; even though she’s glad that she found Joel, her heart is still broken.  Joel is glad that she’s more open to talking with him now, but he knows that all of this is hard for her.  Joel hopes that she can forgive him one day, and that she will be able to talk to him more later, but he knows that it’s going to be a slow process.  After that, they go back to prepare something to eat, and later, Joel asks Ellie if she wants a tour of the cabin.  Ellie says yes to that, because even though she explored some parts of the cabin when she arrived, she needs to see the rest.  And since she’s been there for a little more than a week now, it would be best if she knew where everything is, and how some things work there.

In the morning, Ellie goes up to the open room where Joel sleeps to check on his wounds and change his bandages.  Then she goes outside to cut more wood for the chimney and for the heating system that’s in the basement.  Joel showed her the basement the day before and all the things that the original owner did to the cabin.

 

(Yesterday)

“C`mon, I’ll show you everything that this man did in the basement,” says Joel while he takes Ellie by the arm and guides her down the stairs.

“Joel, I already saw this.  I had to look all around here to find the things I need to attend your wounds, remember?” says Ellie, rolling her eyes.

“Yes, I bet you saw the storage and all the things in the first room, but!  There is another room behind a false wall,” says Joel while he pulls a lever in the wall, and another wall starts to open. Joel smiles when he sees Ellie’s face as she enters the room and sees what’s in there.

“Wow, Joel!  This is like the greenhouse in Jackson, but smaller,” says Ellie when she sees where Joel’s been getting the potatoes and other vegetables from.

“Do you like that?  And that ain’t the only thing that he made in here -- look over there,” says Joel, pointing to a machine on the other side of the room. “This is a steam machine... not only keeps the cabin a little warm, but also provides some electricity that I need for the fridge... and it can warm the water for the bath tub, too. It’s a little limited, but works perfectly, with just a small amount of maintenance, and wood.”

“Shit… Joel, how did you find this place, because I know that you didn't build all this.”

“No I didn’t, but I fixed some parts of the cabin and some of the other things that I use here.  Tess and I found this place by accident when we were doing a job a few months before we went to live in Boston.  The owner was an old man, like 70 or something, back then... he lived here with his wife and son.  The guy was some kind of genius.  He said that he worked for a company that fabricated and invented things that can be used for places where there’s not much civilization, like jungle or desert.  He told me that after the outbreak started, he and his family escaped the city and came to the mountain.  Since it was cold here, not many people came this way, so he and his family could live here in peace,” explains Joel.

“So he built this cabin for him and his family?” asks Ellie.

“Yeah, that’s right, he told me that they found some old cabins on this mountain, he just chose one and started to fix it.  He was younger then.  After he finished, he worked on the other things they needed, like water, the food, something to keep them warm... things like that.  Tess and I stayed here for a few weeks, after a storm hit the mountain and we couldn’t leave.”

“So he let you and Tess stay with them?”

“Yes he did.  They were decent people, something you can’t find out here anymore.  He showed us the cabin and all the construction he did.  When the storm passed, Tess and I said goodbye and left.  I came here five months ago to see if they were still here, but I didn't find anybody.  Nobody had a clue where they went or if they were going to come back.  The cabin seemed to have been abandoned for a few years, so I thought that either they left for good or they were dead.”

“Okay, so you've been living in here, for the past five months?… Did you have any intention to come back to Jackson?  Because you said in the... NOTE!  The one that you left me in the house, that you were going to come back when you finished whatever you were going to do,” says Ellie, now getting a little angry.

“Ellie, things got a little complicated after I left, and I--”

“Yeah, it’s always some excuse for the things you always do, but you know what?... I think that that was a lie too, like all the lies you told me before,” says Ellie, turning around and walking out of the basement.  After that, she didn't talk to Joel anymore for the rest of the day.  

 

(Present day)

A few hours after Ellie finishes checking Joel’s wounds, he tries to stand up from bed.  Ellie gave him the last of the painkillers yesterday, so now enduring the pain is going to be harder. J  Joel finally gets out of bed, goes to the room’s railing, and looks down to try to see if Ellie is there.  When he doesn't see her, he starts to call out to her a few times, but doesn’t get any response.  He is about to get down when he hears some noise coming from the back of the cabin.

Joel walks toward the room’s window and looks outside.  He sees that Ellie is there in the back of the cabin, cutting some wood with an axe.   _What the fuck is she doing outside in this weather?_ Joel asks himself.   _Shit, she is cutting that piece of wood like she wants to kill someone; I just hope that she’s not thinking of me right now._

Joel just stays there, looking at Ellie through the window.  He starts to think about the little girl that he helped cross the country a few years ago.  But that little girl is gone now.  He’s just noticed how much Ellie has grown up in the past two and a half years.  She seems more like a woman now, not only mentally, but also her body is more... adult, now.  

_She looks more beautiful... not that she was less before, but she looks more like a woman now, her body now is more… big in some places.  Fuck!  Joel, you need to stop thinking about her like that.  You screwed everything up and now she hates you,_ says Joel to himself while still looking at her.

After a few minutes, Joel moves away from the window; he starts to feel the reaction from his thoughts.  So while Ellie is out there, he decides to go down to wash himself with some cold water and change his clothing.

  


***A few days later***

  
  
In the past few days, Ellie’s talked a little more to Joel.  She told him about how Dylan convinced Tommy and Maria to let him come with her.  How they went to Lincoln looking for Bill, to try to find any clue to where Joel was.  She doesn't want to tell him everything that happened during that time, so she only told him what he needs for now.  She did tell him about how she and Dylan rescued a few people at an old outpost, including a young woman.  She told him that later, that woman came with them, and how she and Dylan fell for each other.  She also told him how he got injured in one leg, and that she had to leave him behind with the girl, so that way he could go back to Jackson and she could continue with her mission.  

Ellie continued talking to him later, and told him about some of the things that happened in Jackson for the past two years while she was waiting for him.

Another storm rises up again, and now it’s hitting the cabin very hard.  Since they can’t go out to hunt, they start to ration more of the food until the storm passes and they can go out to catch some fish or hunt some animals out there.  As there is nothing they can do for now, Joel and Ellie decide to go and sit on the couch.  They are close to the chimney, so Joel tries to talk a little more.      

“Sooo… Harold is the new chief of security in Jackson now?” asks Joel.

“Yep… Maria named him a few months after you left,” says Ellie with a little smile.

“Well, that’s great, I know that he can do a better job than that asshole Albert.  So what happened to him anyway?”  

“Ha, ha, ha… you’re not going to believe this -- that motherfucker blamed us for the attack and for all the people who died that day.”

“Well, Ellie, that’s kind of true, and he was doing that before I left, so why did Tommy and Maria fire him from that post long after he started to talk?”

“Well, if you’d let me finish, I can tell you the fun part.  A few months after you left, I was… umm, so depressed, you know... all affected from you--”

“Ellie, it’s okay if you don't want to talk about this.  I know that you’re still affected by all the stupid things I did.  So you don't need to talk about that if you don't want to, okay?” says Joel, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“It’s okay, Joel, this part isn’t so hard to talk about, and I’m fine now, okay?  Anyway, where was I?” says Ellie, looking at Joel.  

“He was blaming us for the attack.”

“Oh yeah, well, the asshole continued with that for several weeks.  He was even inciting people to convince Tommy and Maria to expel me from the town.  When that didn't work, he started to tell people that Tommy and Maria were responsible for all the deaths, and that the town needed new leadership.  After that, he started to say bad things about you, and you weren’t even there anymore, so I just snapped.”

“Really?... And what did you do?… shit, Ellie, don't tell me that you finally killed that bastard -- not that I didn’t want to do it before,” says Joel with a little smile on his face.

“Well, almost.  I just took one of Tommy`s guns and walked to his house.  I was so angry that I started to yell at him, so he’d come out as soon as I got in front of his house.  I was going to kill that bastard, and I didn't even care if I was thrown out of the town.”

“So what happened next, did you kill him?”

“No!  He’s lucky that Jenna was passing by close to there and heard me.  Then she came over to me and took me out of there.  After that, Maria and Tommy told him that he has two choices:  get out of town, or join the group that was helping with the new trader town.”

“So Tommy finally threw him out of town?”

“In some way-- yeah.  He and his son joined the group, and we never heard from him again.  Oh, also, Bob was put in charge of the security at the dam, and some of the patrol,” says Ellie, a little enthusiastic now.

“So what else happened there?”

“Well… we had a few raids, but nothing serious, and the town received a few more people.  Jenna and Brad are going to get married soon-- fuck!  I promised Jenna that I was going to come back for the wedding… shit, she told me that she wanted me to be the maid of honor or something like that.”

“Well, that’s good for them, and maybe, if you still want to be there in time, I can take you back.  When did she say the wedding is going to be?” asks Joel.

“Well, she said after the winter ended, I think… Joel, what do you mean about taking me back?”  

“Well, winter is going to be over in less than two months, so maybe I can take you back to Jackson in time,” says Joel, smiling.

“Really!... do you mean that?  We're going to go back to Jackson?” asks Ellie with a smile on her face.

“Of course I’m going to take you back.  We can’t stay here for long, anyway.  If Amber found me here, I know that others are going to come soon,” says Joel with a worried expression now.  

“Amber?” asks Ellie with some curiosity.

“Yeah... the woman that was here with those men... that you killed, by the way.”

“Oh yeah, you never told me who they are.  Do they work with the Fireflies?”

“Sorry I didn't tell you who they were before.  I know that you’re still mad at me, and I don't want you to stop talking to me, so I wanted to tell you later.  Ellie, I know that this is hard, and after what I did, I’m really glad that you’ve started to talk to me again.”

“Well, Joel, we’re going to be stuck here for at least a month, so it’s going to be stupid if we don’t even talk.  So who are they?”

“They’re not Fireflies.  They’re another group that I joined after I couldn’t find that… Firefly leader that I was looking for.  They called themselves ‘The New Order.’  They’re a group of ex-military, led by an old man calling himself the General.  They hate the Fireflies too, so I made a deal with them... so that way, they could help me find that man.”  

“And now they want to kill you too?” asks Ellie, a little surprised.

“Well, that’s a little complicated, so maybe it’s better if I tell you the whole story another time, okay?”

They stay sitting there for a few hours, talking about other little things.  When it’s time to go to bed, Joel offers for Ellie to sleep in the bed while he takes the couch.  But Ellie tells him that he still needs the rest from his injuries, so it’d be better for him to sleep in the bed.  After that, they say goodnight to each other and go to sleep.

  


***Three days later, at night***

  
  
I open my eyes a little.  I still feel sleepy, and the room seems so dark, so it’s not morning yet.  But why do I feel so good?  I haven't slept this good... well, in a month, and I feel like so-- so, wait a minute, why am I not on the couch?  Why I am in Joel’s-- bed?… Joel’s bed!... Fuck!  We did-- did we have sex?  I don't even remember getting in bed with him.  But I remember asking him last night if I could have a little of that thing he's been smoking for the pain.

I quickly look under the bed sheet, and see that I’m naked.  Shit, that’s great… even if I am a little mad at him, I want things to go back to the way it was before all this shit happened.  I wanted to have sex with him so bad when we were in Jackson, and after what he did to me in that little farm, I just want him to make love to me even more.  Since I realized that I love him, I’ve wanted him to be my first, and now that that’s happened, I don't even remember… Fuck!  

But, where is he?  If he’s not in the bed with me and it’s still dark outside, where did he go?  I decide to get out of bed and look for him, so maybe we can go back to bed and do it again.  That would be great, because I would remember this time.  I find my panties and the long shirt that I used to sleep in on the floor, close to one side of the bed, and his sleep pants on a table on the other side of the bed.  But something doesn't feel right; when I finish putting the clothes on, I notice that it’s starting to get really hot in the cabin, more than usual.   

It’s still winter, and even with the heating thing, it’s never that hot in here.  Then I notice some smoke that’s coming from downstairs, and I start to hear some noises coming from outside.  I hurry up and go downstairs, and when I get to the living room, I see that the cabin is on fire.  I start to call Joel, but he’s not responding.  I can barely breathe with all the smoke that is filling the cabin now.  So I continue calling Joel, and when I try to get to the bathroom to check if he’s in there, the fire starts to spread everywhere.  There’s nothing I can do now, so I need to get out of the cabin before it completely catches fire.  I go out the door and pray that Joel got out of the cabin in time, and that he’s been waiting for me outside.  I start to cough as soon as I get outside, and when I breathe in some fresh air, I raise my head and look at the person in front of me.

“Hello, Ellie, it’s been a long time.”

“Marlene?” says Ellie as soon as she sees who is in front of her.

“Well, at least you remember who I am, that’s good to know.  Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?”

“But-- but how?  You-- you’re supposed to be dead,” says Ellie, not believing it.

“Really?  Who told you that?  The old smuggler that was supposed to bring you to us, and later betrayed us?”

“Joel… told me that he… killed everyone in the hospital.”  

“Well, I can tell you that he tried, but now he’s going to pay for what he’s done.  And you are coming with us.  I have an obligation to humanity, and you're going to be the one who saves us,” says Marlene, extending a hand to her.

“I’m not going with you!  And where is Joel?  I want to know what you did to him,” says Ellie, taking a gun out and pointing it at Marlene.

Quickly, Marlene puts her hand up, and the men behind her pull out their guns and point them at Ellie.  Then Marlene orders the men to lower their weapons and not do anything.

“Ellie, Ellie… what are you doing, ummm?  You want to protect him?  After what he did to us -- to humankind?” asks Marlene with a disappointed expression.

“I'm sorry for what he did.  He was just trying to protect me, and I'm not your answer to the cure.  I just want all this to end and live in peace with him, so why don’t you just tell me where he is?”

“Okay, Ellie, you win.  Guys, bring him here -- this is something that I need her to see,” says Marlene to some of the men that are with her.

After a few moments, two men come forward, carrying Joel, and drop him in front of Marlene.  When Ellie looks at Joel, she sees he’s beat up; he has blood on his face and some other wounds on the rest of his body.  

“What did you do to him?”

“Nothing that he didn't deserve,” says Marlene while she grabs him by the hair, pulls him up, and puts a knife to his throat.

“Okay… okay, just stop.  I will go with you if you let him go, so please, just don't kill him, okay…  please!” says Elie while she drops her gun to the ground.  

“You want to save his life?  After all the people he killed?  After he almost killed me!... Ellie, I don't understand.  I care about you.  I was like a mother to you, and after you got bitten, you became the only hope for the last of us.  The only thing you need to do is sacrifice yourself to save humankind.  You could liberate this world from people like him, from the virus.  They’re not human anymore, they’re just killers, animals... that’s the only thing they know to do, is take it all for themselves and destroy everything.”  

“He’s not like that -- we all need to kill to survive in this world now.  He’s not a bad person, just let him go and I’ll go with you… please!” Ellie pleads with some tears in her eyes

“I see now... so you love this man?  Is that what this is all about?” asks Marlene, looking at Ellie,  waiting for an answer.  

Ellie just stays there looking at Joel.  No matter what happens to her, she needs to save him, even at the cost of her own life.  Joel tries to say something, but he can't talk, so Ellie tells him that everything is going to be fine.  “Yes, I love him, so please just let him go and I’ll go with you… please!”

“Well, if he’s the reason that made you change your mind, I think that I can let him go... so you can look at him and say goodbye.”  As soon as Marlene says that, she takes the knife in her hand and cuts Joel’s throat.  She lets go of Joel, and his body just falls down to the ground.

“NOOOOOOO!”

“Ellie… Ellie… wake up… wake up!”

Ellie opens her eyes abruptly.  Her heart is beating like it wants to get out of her chest.  Then she feels someone shaking her, and when she clears her vision, she sees Joel in front of her.  She quickly puts her arms around him, buries her face in his neck, and starts to cry.    

“Ellie, it’s okay, it was just a nightmare, you’re fine,” says Joel, hugging her tight.

“No!... nothing is going to be fine, not anymore,” says Ellie while still crying in his arms.

“Everything is going to get better, Ellie, I promise.”

“You promise?  Yeah… but we both know that you`re not very good at keeping promises.”

“I will this time, Ellie, I promise that I will take care of you this time.  Now it’s going to be better if you sleep in the bed, c'mon.”  Then Joel stands up and gathers Ellie in his arms, then walks up the stairs.

When he gets there, he puts Ellie in the bed and covers her with the bed sheet, then he bends down to kiss her on the forehead and say good night.  When he starts to move away, Ellie grabs one of his hands and stops him.  

“Joel, I want you to stay here with me, at least for tonight…  please!” says Ellie, looking at him with a sad face.

“Okay!” says Joel as he lifts up the bed sheet and lays down close to her.

Ellie then grabs one of his arms and puts it around her waist, so that way he can hug her.  Joel sees what she is doing and snuggles close to her, putting his head behind hers and kissing her  again.

“Joel!”

“Yes, kiddo?”

“Can you sing me a song?  The one you used to sing to me every time I had a nightmare?”

“Kiddo, I think that you are too old for that, don't you think?” says Joel, smiling.  

“I don't care, I just need to hear your voice, so maybe that way I can fall asleep again.”

“Okay, my baby girl, I think I can do that.”

“Thanks, Joel!”


	13. The Road to Healing a Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Ellie finally find Joel, the process to heal are started, But that is going to take some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 13 : The Road to Healing a Heart**

  
  


***One week later***

  
  


I open my eyes slowly.  I look at the window and see that it’s morning.  Then I look at the other side of the bed, but Joel is not there.  It's been a week since the nightmare... _shit,_ _why am I still having those?_ I'm with Joel now.  I finally found him; I should be happy that he’s alive.  I know that I’m still a little mad at him for what he did.  I just wish I knew what to do; do I forgive him completely and try to leave all that happened in the past?  Because the alternative is to go back to Jackson and try to live the rest of my life without him.  But I already know that I can't do that, after all that happened in the last 2 ½ years... and coming out here to find him... so who am I  kidding?

I’m still in love with him -- I can't deny that, so maybe I should be concentrating on that.  But how do I do that and forget the rest?  How is all this going to work out in the end?  I don't want to go back with him and later he finds that he needs to go again, and leaves me alone again.  I don't think I can deal with that again, so maybe that’s what scares me the most.  Okay, it’s going to be better for me if I get out of bed now.  It was nice of Joel to let me sleep in the bed for the past week.  It makes me happy to sleep with him in a bed again.  It feels so good to have him  snuggle me so tight.  It makes me feel safe, and that keeps the nightmares out of my sleep, for the past week.  He just stayed with me all night… for the first 3 days, and I noticed that the rest of the 4 days, he only stayed until I fell asleep.  Those last days, he just moved out of the bed and sat in a chair that he has in the room, and slept there, or he just went downstairs to sleep on the couch.  But sometimes I just wish that he’d stay in the bed with me forever.  I just want to feel it again… the way I felt when he touched me before, when we slept together back in Jackson.  Fuck!  I’m starting to miss all that, too.

“Ellie!  Are you awake?” asks Joel from downstairs.

“Yes!  Joel, I'm awake, I’m just going to change,” answers Ellie while she starts to get out of bed.

“Okay, just hurry up -- breakfast is ready, and later, I have a little surprise for you.”

“Okay, just give me a minute.” _A surprise?  What the hell is he talking about?_

 

(Two hours later)

“Joel, are you crazy?  You call this a surprise?  Fuck!  A surprise would be if we don't freeze to death out here,” says Ellie, trembling.

“Oh, c`mon, kiddo, we haven't been able to get out of the cabin all week.  It’s stopped snowing for now, and we might not have another chance for days,” says Joel while they walk into the forest close to the cabin.

“Fine, but if we die out here from the cold, it’s going to be your fault.  Where are you taking me, anyway?”

“Don't worry, we’re going to be fine.  We’re close now,” answers Joel.

Ellie and Joel keep walking for 10 more minutes, and when they arrive at the place that Joel’s taking Ellie, she doesn't know what to say.

“Wow, Joel, how is this even possible?  It's been snowing since I got here, so this place should be frozen,” says Ellie, looking at the little lake in front of her.

“Yeah, I don't even know how, but the water’s been the same the whole time I’ve been here.   There has to be an explanation for that but I don't really know.”

“Well, it’s beautiful, I can tell you that, but even though this is so nice to see, I’m still cold.”

“Yeah, I know, sorry for that, but the reason I brought you here is that we can do some fishing now,” says Joel, grabbing two wood sticks from a tree close by and giving one to Ellie.

“Fishing?  How?  Even if the top of the water isn’t frozen, it’s still cold, so how is there going to be any fish in there?”

“Just touch the water, and you’ll find out,” says Joel while he gets some fishing line from the bag he brought with him.

Ellie moves close to the water and puts one hand in.  She’s surprised to feel that the water is not cold.

“What the fuck?... How is the water not freezing?” asks Ellie, taking her hand out of the water and looking at him.

“I’m not sure how... maybe some thermal water or something like that.  But don’t you think that all of this is so amazing?”

“Yes, I do, wow!  Joel, this place is full of surprises.  And you think there’s fish in there?” says Ellie, looking at the water now.

“Well, there should be.  I fished some before you get here and the storm started.  But as the water’s still warm, there has to be some fish in there.”  

After Joel finishes tying the fishing line on the two sticks, they both go and sit on a big rock that is close to the little lake.  As there’s no wind or snow, the warm water keeps them warm.

“Joel?” says Ellie, moving a little to the side to look in her backpack and grab something.

“Yes, kiddo, are you okay?  or need something--” Joel stops to talk when he sees what Ellie gets out of her bag.

“I want to give this back to you.  I know how this is very important to you so I think that it’s better if you have it back,” says Ellie, showing Joel the wristwatch -- the one that Sarah gave to him on his birthday.  

Joel takes the watch in his hand, and starts to look at it.  He can't believe that Ellie was carrying this with her.  He remembers that he left that in the house, and took the one that Ellie gave him as a Christmas present.  Some tears start to form in Joel’s eyes when he tries to remember and forget at the same time, that happy and horrible night.  When his daughter gave him the present, he felt so happy to have his daughter with him, but in the same night, it all went to hell.

“I was going to give it back to you earlier, but with all that’s happened, I forgot.  I found it this morning when I was looking through my things in my backpack.”

“Thanks, Ellie… for keeping it safe,” says Joel while still looking at the watch.

“Sure.  I know that this means a lot to you.  I wanted to believe that you left it to me so that way, I could keep it safe until you returned, but you never returned.”

“Here, I want you to keep it.  I think it’s going to be more secure with you now.  I don't think that I deserve this anymore,” says Joel, offering the watch back to Ellie.

“Deserve?  What do you mean by that?” says Ellie, watching Joel closely, and then she takes the watch back in her hand.

“Ellie, you know that my daughter gave me this, and I treasured it as a symbol of her love for me.  But I’ve been carrying this for more than 20 years.  I kept this because it was the last thing I had from her, and somehow, keeping something from her so close... it was a reminder of her.  But I'm sure now that she would be ashamed of me, if she could see what I’ve become now,” says Joel, looking at the lake.

“Joel, that’s not true.  I know that your daughter still loves you, wherever she is now, and I’m sure that--” Ellie is cut off.

“I don't deserve her love, after all the things I’ve done.  I don't even deserve yours.  I’m just an old selfish bastard that destroys everything it touches... look what I did to you,” says Joel, looking back at Ellie.

“Joel, I know that some bad things happened to you... losing your daughter like that changed you.  But that doesn’t mean that you are a bad person.  You only do what you think is best, and sometimes you make the wrong choices.  But you’ve tried to change all that, and I know that your daughter is always going to love you, and know that in your heart, you’re a good man.”   

“Ellie, you always try to see the best in me.  I don't even deserve a person like you.” Joel looks at the lake, trying to think of something more to say, and then looks back at Ellie. “Ellie, why did you come looking for me, after what I did to you?”

“Joel, I can't explain why, but even after what you did, you were the only one that saw me like a normal person.  You saved my life, and you cared about me... well, at least before all this, and believe it or not, I still love you.  I know that you did some bad things, but I'm alive because of  some of them.  So don't say that you don’t deserve your daughter’s love, because you do, no matter what you’ve done,” says Ellie, putting one hand on top of his.

“Ellie, you are a great girl... I don't even know how you can love a person like me.  I’m just an old man whose only accomplishment in his life was to screw everything up. Look what I did to you -- and not only you... I always end up destroying the lives of all the people that were important to me:  I screwed up my marriage, my daughter died because of me, I destroyed my relationship with my brother, and in the end, I hurt you too,” says Joel, looking down at his feet with a sad face. 

“Joel, don't be so hard on yourself.  I think everyone deserves a second chance.  I know that your life's not been easy, but you’re trying to change; that’s a good thing.  You took me to Jackson and tried to give me a better life, and even if you don't believe it, your brother still loves you, even if sometimes the only thing you two do is argue a lot.  What happened to your daughter was not your fault, and me -- I'm alive because of you.”

“Yeah, but at what cost... look at us now.  I know that you’re never going to forgive me for what I did, or for all the promises I broke,” Joel says, trying not to look at Ellie.

“Joel, I don't know if I’m ever going to forget what you did to those Fireflies or Marlene, but I know that in some way, I can forgive you.  All this time that we’ve been separated, I never stopped thinking of you, and the worst part was waiting for you to come back, or not knowing if you were alive or dead.  After some time passed, some people started to tell me to move on… that I needed to forget you.  I tried, but in the end, I couldn’t.  Joel, I don't know what’s going to happen between you and me in the future.  But I know now that we can try to be together...  if we can get past the lies, maybe we can have a new start,” says Ellie as she leans over and puts her head on his shoulder, and holds his hand in hers.

They stay at the little lake for a few hours, and after catching some fish, they decide that it’s too cold to be outside for so long, so they start to walk back to the cabin.

“Hey, Joel, do you want to know what I wish?” asks Ellie while she’s walking beside him.

“What, kiddo?”   

“That we could go back in time, and get back to that little lake that is close to the dam.  When you started to teach me how to swim, remember?  Those were real cool times.  I loved how we were back then, just the two of us, with my red bikini... what do you think?” says Ellie, hitting Joel on the arm with her shoulder.

“Yeah, that would be nice... by the way, what did you do with that?  Did you continue practicing in that lake with someone?” says Joel without looking at Ellie, and continues walking.   

“Are you fucking kidding me?  You told Tommy to not let me go out of town, so how do you think I was going to go swimming?  And what do you mean with someone?  The only one I want to do that with is you,” says Ellie, more seriously.

“Shit!... another thing that I fucked up for you.”

“It’s okay, Joel.  I tried to forget all that, remember?  And besides, maybe we can go there when we go back to Jackson,” says Ellie, smiling a little.

“You still want me to be with you when we get back?”

“Of course I do, dummy, didn't you listen at all to what I said just a few hours ago?  Joel, whatever happened with us, I still want to be with you.  We can try to start again,” says Ellie, now grabbing Joel’s arm with hers.

“Yeah, I heard what you said back there, it’s just... I can't believe it.”

“Well, I want to try -- don't you?”

“Of course I do.  I want to be with you, in any way you want it to be.  I know that I'm an asshole, and I’m glad that you want to give me a chance, even if I don`t deserve one.”

“Well, I think you do, and besides, you’re going to be an uncle soon, so you need to be there for you brother.  And about the bikini thing... I can't use that anymore, because if you haven't noticed, I'm bigger now.”

“Yeah, you are… well, that’s going to be a shame.  I’m really going to miss it.”

“Really!... do you really like it?”

“Well, it could be better, with a blond sexy woman wearing it,” says Joel, smiling.

“WHAT!... Fuck you, Joel, you are an ass… and you’re going to pay for that comment,” says Ellie, while she lets go of Joel’s arm and runs toward the cabin.  

“Ha,ha,ha… hey, where are you going?  I was just kidding -- you looked beautiful in that bikini.”

“Don't try to change what you said, Joel, and for that, you’re going to clean and cook the fish now.”

“That’s your punishment?  I was going to do that anyway,” says Joel, looking at Ellie and smiling.

Then Ellie stops in front of the cabin and bends down.  She quickly forms a snowball and throws it at Joel, hitting him in the face, and she starts laughing.

“Well, that... and this,” says Ellie, throwing another snowball at Joel and hitting him in the chest this time.

“Ohhhhh… so you want to play like that, umm… You’re on, Missy.  But I can tell you, that you just made a big mistake.  I always beat my brother at this, so you don't have a chance,” says Joel while making a snowball and throwing it at Ellie.  It hits her in the back when she tries to avoid the snowball.   

“Well, maybe you beat your brother like a hundred years ago, old man, but I'm the new generation now,” answers Ellie, throwing another snowball at Joel.

“We'll see about that,” says Joel while he dodges the snowball.

  
  


***At an old Air force base in South Dakota***

  
  
  


In the new ex-Firefly base that is close to Rapid City. a man is walking toward one of the big buildings that they are using for the investigation project.  The man stops when a guard steps in front of the door of the building and asks what his business is in there.

“Are you kidding me?  I need to speak to the boss, immediately,” says the man in front of the guard.

“Well, you have to wait.  The boss is in the middle of something in there, and he left instructions that he doesn't want to be disturbed until he’s finished,” says the guard.

“Well, I have new information that he needs to hear.  So if you’d be so kind and let me pass, that would be a little nice.”

“Sorry, but I have my orders.”

“Shit, then call inside and tell someone inside that Gregory is here and he has some information that is vital for the boss.  Can you do that?”

“I think I can do that, wait just a moment.”  Then the guard takes his radio and calls inside.

 

(one hour earlier, inside the building)

“Do you think this is going to work this time, doc?” asks Walter.

“Well, it’s hard to say right now, but the last test had some positive results,” says the doctor.

“Positive results?  You’ve been working on this project for how long… three years?  And you’re not even close to making any of this work,” says Walter, with a furious tone.

“This isn’t my fault.  You know when we lost the support from the Fireflies’ council, this work got more difficult.  Besides, the latest subject hasn't been much of a help either.  We need to find new ones.”

“I want some kind of result as soon as possible, so I need you to do the test with the new drug, now.”

“Sir, that drug is not ready yet, and the last subject we had is not going to respond to another dose of that drug, so soon.  We need to do more tests on that drug to make sure that it works.”

“Well, you said that the drug has made some progress.  So we need to test that now, and that was not a request, doc.”  

“Okay, if you want a test, let's do a test.  But don't blame me if something goes wrong,” says the doctor, pointing at Walter, then he turns around and looks at one of his assistants. “Jimmy, take one of the guards and go to the cell 4, and take the subject to the test room.”

“Yes, doctor,” says the assistant and walks out of the room.

The doctor walks out of his office.  After a few minutes, he enters his laboratory.  Walter follows him inside the room, too.  After he enters the room, he walks toward one of his laboratory cabinets, the one that only he has access to, puts his key in, and opens it.  “Here is the latest sample.  I’m going to warn you that we’ve been working for a while on this new drug, and it hasn’t been tested yet.  So we’re not sure if the drug can give us any positive result, and it might be too dangerous,” says the doctor.

“Just do the test.  We need to finish with this soon if we want to win this war,” says Walter.

“Sir, I don't want to interrupt, but isn’t it better if we continue with the first task, and try to find the cure for the virus?  We’ve been working on this project for the last 3 years and we haven't seen any results yet.  And some of the men are starting to wonder if all this is worth the risk, sir,” says a man, sitting at one of the laboratory tables.

“If I want your opinion, I’ll ask for it, do you understand that?” Walter asks the scientist in the room.

“Yes sir, sorry,” says the man a little nervously.

“That’s good,” says Walter, looking at the man.  “And you!  If you do your job, and work harder on this project to make this right, we don't need a cure.  Now, if the men are worried, I can talk to them, but for now, let's do the test and stop wasting my time here.”

The doctor prepares the needle with the chemical, and walks toward the test room, where a young man is tied to chair.

“Okay, this is going to be the last one, so try to do it right this time and everything is going to be fine,” says the doc to the young man in the chair.   

“Please… I can't take this anymore… I did what you said… just let me go,” says the young man.

“I told you that this is the last test -- if you do this right, we’re going to let you go free, okay?”

Then the doctor proceeds to inject the young man with the chemical.  After that, he gets out of the room and proceeds to the next room that has a two-way mirror and some electronic instruments.  Ten minutes later, Walter and the doc are waiting for the reaction to start.

“That’s it?  Last time the reaction to the drug took less time to start taking effect on the subject,” says Walter, a little irritated.

“I told you that this was an untested product; we don't know how the subject is going to react,” says the doctor.

After 5 minutes, the young man starts to have some kind of seizures; after two minutes, they stop.  The young man has some electronic device on his head, so that way the doc and his staff can monitor the brain activity.

“Dr. Owen, the subject is ready,“ says one of the doctor’s assistants.   

“Okay, open the other door and let the infected get inside the room,” says the doc to the guard that is inside the room in a secure position.

The guard opens the door and an infected person enters the room.  The guard quickly secures himself behind a protected wall while the infected starts to search the room.  The man in the chair starts to panic as soon as he sees the infected enter the room.   

_“Remember, you need to concentrate... if you do this right, everything is going to be fine.  Just use your mind to make the connection with the infected,”_ says the doc on the intercom that is connected to the room.

The infected sees the man in the chair and quickly runs toward him.  The man starts to scream, until the infected stops in front of him.  The infected starts to look at the young man, and starts to make some jerky movements, but doesn't attack him.

“It’s working!” says Walter as he observes the situation.

_“Okay… unnn, Adam, just like I told you… just feel the connection between your mind and his.  You are in control now_ ,” indicates the doctor.

“Okay… okay, I can do this… unnn you don't want to be… here… just go back to… the other… room,” says Adam, trying to convince the infected to go back to the other room.

The infected starts to look at him like he’s confused or something, and tries to move forward, but can't.  Then the infected starts to make some strange sounds, and starts to move slowly backward.

“Shit!  It’s working, it’s working, doctor!  Now let in another one,” says Walter.

“What?... no--no--no, we can't do that, even if the drug is working for now, it’s just working with one, and we don't know for how long, maybe it’s better if--”

“Nonsense.  This is a test, remember, and we need to know if he can control more than one.  So send another one… now,” says Walter, looking at the doctor.

“Walter, we need to check this first, right now this is--”

“Give me that-- _hey, you, open the the door and let another one in,_ ” says Walter on the intercom.

The guard in the room opens the door again and another infected enters the room.  The new infected starts to make some strange sounds, and moves close to the other one in the room.  After a few moments, the two infected look at the young man in the chair and start to move close to him. The man starts to command the two infected to go back to the other room, but they’re still moving close to him.  

“Hey, this is… not working… anymore, so just shoot them... shoot them -- now!”

As the man starts to scream for help, the two infected move quickly to attack him.  The guard starts to shoot, but after he kills one of the infected, the other one attacks the young man in the chair.  The man starts to scream when the infected starts to bite him in the neck.  A lot of blood starts to splash out from the wound.  Finally, the guard kills the infected, but it’s too late -- the infected already ripped out half of the man’s neck, and there was nothing they could do to save him.   

“Damn it, why the hell did you do that?  I told you that we need to run more tests,” says Dr. Owen while he hits the table in front of him.

“Well, look on the positive side: at least the drug is starting to get some results.”

“Yeah, but now we lost the subject, and how are we going to get a new one?”

“Relax, doc, Richard is out there looking for more, so don't worry, we're going to have a new one soon.”  Then someone knocks on the door and opens it.

“I hope you have a good excuse for coming in here like this, soldier.  Especially when I said that I don't want to be disturbed.”  

“Sorry, sir, but Gibson wants to talk with you.  He said that it’s urgent.  Something about a contact he has in the town where we get our supplies.”

“What did he say?  And I hope that all this is important, because right now, I’m not in the mood.”

“Well, sir, he said that there’s another immune in there, sir,”  says the soldier.

“Well, that’s some good news then.  See, doc, I think that we’re lucky, don't you think?” Walter says, looking at the doctor, then he turns and looks at the soldier. “Okay, send some men to that town and bring the new test subject to me.”

  
  


***Back to the cabin at night***

  


_I’m lying on the couch, looking at the ceiling.  It’s now late in the night.  I try to remember the last time I had some fun time with Ellie.  I left her for 2 ½  years, not because I wanted to... I couldn't stay.  Not only because of the Fireflies -- also because I love her, but she was only 16 years old and what was going to happen there if we acted on our feelings?  And now I don't know what to do.  She still wants to be with me, but I need to take her back to Jackson.  It’s just… I don't know what to do when we get there.  I knew what I needed to do was going to hurt her, but I needed to do it anyway.  I didn't have any other choices back then._   _But today, I really enjoyed spending time with her, seeing how she can smile again when we played in the snow.  That was something I could not do with my daughter, because I was always working or--_

Joel is taken out of his thoughts when he feels Ellie walking down the stairs to the living room.

“Joel!  Are you awake?” asks Ellie as soon as she gets close to him.

“Yes!  I'm awake, Ellie, what are you doing out of bed, kiddo?  It’s late.”

“I can’t sleep.”

“Did you have another nightmare?”

“No, but I don't want to sleep alone tonight… Sooo, I was thinking, if you don't mind sleeping in the bed with me... at least for tonight, do you?” asks Ellie, getting a little nervous.   

Joel sits up on the couch and looks at Ellie.  She is wearing a long-sleeved sweater and long sleep pants.  He is trying to find an excuse to say no to her, but he can’t find one (he doesn't want to find one, either). “Sure, kiddo, I think I can do that.”

“Great!... I mean, thanks.  I’ll be waiting for you upstairs, okay?” says Ellie, trying not to sound too excited.

Then she goes upstairs again and waits for Joel in the bed.  After a few minutes, Joel enters the bedroom and sees that Ellie is already in the bed.  Ellie is lying on her side, under the bed sheet, so Joel gets in under the sheet and gets behind her.  Ellie slowly grabs one of Joel’s hands and puts it around her waist, so that way he can snuggle close to her.

Joel then moves closer to her until their bodies are touching each other.  After a few minutes, Joel slowly starts to get her essence, as the back of her head is close to his face.  Joel has already slept with her a few times now, but that was only because she was having nightmares. But this time is different; he doesn't know why Ellie asked him to sleep in the bed with her, but in a way, he’s glad that she did.   _That Ellie is trying to connect with me again?_  He knows that he doesn't deserve that, after all the things he did, but he needs -- no, he wants that connection with her again.

The night is cold; it seems like it’s snowing again, not too much but it’s getting cold again.  Joel feels Ellie shiver a little, so he tries to pull Ellie closer to him so that way he can warm her up more.  As soon as Ellie feels Joel’s body closer to her, she starts to get a sensation that she  hasn’t felt for a long time.  Ellie had Joel close like this a few days ago, but it was only Joel trying to console her.  This time, it’s something more... something that she wants to feel again.  On impulse, Ellie turns her head and looks him in the eyes.  Joel is looking at hers too; their souls are attracted to each other like a magnet.  Then after a few moments, Ellie turns her body around, grab his face, close her eyes, and kisses him on the mouth.

  
  
  
  
  
  



	14. Important massage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not a actually chapter is just a massage for the people that is reading this story.

Hi I just wanted to let you know that this story is going to be in holds for the moment. I you don't know I live in Puerto Rico and we got hit by a huracan 3 weeks ago. Most of the island is with out power and we very have communication and internet. So for now I can't work on the story. I have a few chapters done but I can't post them for now. But I will a soon I can and be sure that the story is going to be finished, I not going to stop the story is just for now is going to take more time. Thanks for your patience and for read my story, I will continue a soon after I can and hope for things in PR get better soon thanks.


	15. Just Follow your heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joel and Ellie continue the process of healing each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, the situation in PR still hard and bad, but at least I now at work and we have a plant, so we can do some work. we get some internet signal so I going to post the next chapter. Thanks for all you support and patience, I will try to work on this the best I can and when I can thanks for continue to reading my story thanks. I really appreciated that.

**Chapter 14 : Just Follow your heart**

 

                                                                                   ***Two days later***

 

Ellie wakes up first thing in the morning; she slept in the bed the night before, but not with Joel.  She doesn't know why, but after she kissed Joel on the mouth, two nights before, she felt something weird.  Not like she didn't want to do it; Ellie was happy now, to feel Joel’s lips again... she even wants to feel all of him again.  But after all this time, the only thing she’s been seeing in her dreams are horrible things that happen to him.  Now that it’s all different, she needs to get all that out of her mind first.  So after she kissed Joel, she just went back to sleep and didn't say anything.  After that night, Joel hasn't mentioned or commented on anything either, about what’s happened for the past two days.  So now she needs to find out what Joel thinks about all that.  

 

(Joel) 

_Shit!  I didn't sleep well last night, thinking about what I’m going to do about Ellie’s kiss.  Does she want to talk about that, now?  It’s been two days since that happened, and she hasn't said anything, so I don't know what to do.  She went back to sleep after she kissed me, so was that a mistake?  It seems like she doesn't want to talk about that, or she’s waiting for me to say something?  C`mon, Joel, you are the adult here, and maybe that kiss was some kind of signal.  Ellie says that she wants to start again, that she loves me... I'm sure I would like that.  But how can I do this, because this is one of the reasons for me to get away from Jackson.  I know that Ellie is not sixteen anymore, she’s more adult now.  But I don't know if that helps in this situation.  The thing is that I`m 53 and she’s 18.  For God’s sake, I could be her grandfather.  I know that there’s no law in this fucking world now, but is this a right thing to do?  And that brings me back to the beginning -- is this what she really wants, for us to be a couple?  Yes, she kissed me that night, but after that, she’s only talked about simple things. She doesn't mention the kiss, so what was that -- a ‘thank you’ kiss?  Or something more?  Fuck!  Why I never understand women, or Ellie -- she is so complicated sometimes that I never know what is inside that head of hers.  She just kissed me and that’s it.  What am I supposed to think about that?  She hasn't even asked me to sleep in the bed again with her since yesterday.  Well, maybe she’s waiting for me to make the next step; I'm the adult here.  Well, technically, she’s an adult too, but I have the experience, so maybe she’s waiting for that.  Well, maybe it’s better if I say something, or at least ask her why she kissed me?  I think that maybe she needs some time to think about all this.  But, I need to think of something to say, and fast.  She’s still in the room, so maybe I can go in there and talk to her and resolve all this... yeah, I think I can do that._

  
(Ellie)

_After I woke up the next day, and looked at the other side of the bed, Joel wasn’t there.  I think that he went back to sleep on the couch after I went back to sleep that night, and the night after that.  I don't know if that’s freaking him out... he hasn't said anything to me after the kiss.  Of course, we talk about other things, but not about the kiss.  Oh God, feeling his body snuggled to me again, like he did so many times back in Jackson.  Feeling his hands touching me again, he makes me feel so good and I just want to forget everything that’s happened for the last two and a half years.  I was just in there in the bed with him, feeling his touch, so I just turned my head and looked at him.  He was there looking at me too, and seeing his face so close, I just couldn't resist.  Well, I need to figure this out, so as soon as I change my sleeping clothing, I’ll go down to the living room and wait for him.  Poor Joel, maybe I should have asked last night to go to the bed, even if we do nothing in there.  He’s still recovering from his wounds and needs the bed more than me.  Shit, I don't know what’s wrong with me -- first I'm mad at him, and a few weeks later, I want to sleep with him.  And as soon as I get him in the bed with me, I kiss him.  And after I did that, I just panicked... fuck, Ellie, you need to get your head clear.  So as soon as I change, I’ll go down to the living room and see Joel on the couch.  He was lying there, but he was awake, so I’ll order him to get to the bed and get some rest.  Of course, he’s going to protest, and say that he’s fine, but I’m not going to take no for an answer.  Before he went up to the bedroom, I told him that I was going to prepare something to eat, and that I was going to check his wounds later. So here I am, preparing all the things I need to attend his wound.  I know that everything is going to be fine, so why am I trembling?_

Then Ellie takes a deep breath and starts to walk up to the bedroom.  As soon as she gets up there, she sees Joel standing in front of the window and looking outside.  

“JOEL!  What the hell are you doing?  Didn't I tell you an hour ago to get some rest?” says Ellie as soon as she walks to the table on the side of the bed and puts the things she brought there.

“I think I had a good sleep on the couch” ( _lie)_ “so you don't need to worry--” Joel is interrupted.

“I don't care if you think that you’re fine -- just sit on the bed and take your shirt off.  I need to change the bandages and check the wounds.”

“Ellie, I'm better now, and I think that I can take care of myself, so you don't need--” Joel is interrupted again.

“Joel, I'm the nurse here, so it’s better for you to do what I say.  Because you don't want to see a pissed off nurse, do you?”

“Yes, ma’am!” says Joel while he moves close to the bed and starts to strip his shirt off.

Ellie just stands there looking at him while he gets out of his shirt and sits on the bed.  Then Ellie proceeds to get close to him.  Then she lowers herself and starts to take the old bandage off.  

“You better be careful with that... it tickles,” Joel says, trying to tease Ellie a little.

“Really!” says Ellie as she finishes taking the bandage off. “Okay, first let's check the stab wound.”

Joel stays put as Ellie starts to check the wound in his arm first, where that Amber woman stabbed him with her knife.  “Sooo… you’re a nurse now?” says Joel, trying to start a conversation.

“Yup!  And I can prove it, because Dr. Wilson gave me a paper that says that I'm a certified nurse,” says Ellie with a proud voice.

“I want to see that -- I don't want to be checked by an impostor, you know.  I could end up worse than I was before.  That way, I can sue you for malpractice,” says Joel, teasing Ellie again.

“What the hell is a sue?  And I’m not doing a malpractice, or whatever that shit is. The doctor said I was the best,” answers Ellie while she continues to check him.   

“Really!  I need to see that paper, then.”

“Are you doubting me?  Anyway, I can't show you that.  I left that paper in my room in Jackson.”

“Ha, ha, ha, Ellie, it’s okay, I was just joking around.  I know how good you are, and you don't need any paper for people to know that,” says Joel, smiling.

“I know you do, you ass.  Well, your arm is good: no infection and the wound is healing fine, so your arm is going to be good as new, probably in a month.  So now let's check those busted ribs and see how they are, okay?”

Ellie starts to look at him... well, more at his shirtless chest.  She hasn't seen him like this in a long time, and he hasn’t changed that much; he just has a few more gray hairs on his chest than she remembers.  And some new scars on there too, but physically, he’s still the same.  And after a few moments of looking at him, Ellie starts to check his ribs.

“Well, the bruises are starting to disappear, that’s good.” Ellie moves her hand, touching him on the side, where the most damage was the first time she treated him. “Does that hurt?”

“Just when I laugh,” says Joel when he tries to smile.

“Well, if it's just that, then you're okay,” says Ellie, smiling and moving her hand to the other side.

Ellie starts to put some ointment on the part that still has some bruises. “I’m going to put on some more of this.  That will help you a little with the pain.”

“Thanks, but the pain is almost gone now, so I don't think--  aaaahhhh, that hurt!”

“Oh, please, don't be such a baby.  I thought that you said that you don't feel any pain now,” says Ellie with a smile.

“I don’t, unless you press too hard.”  

“Sorry, but I need to check if the ribs are better, and apparently they’re not.”

When she finishes with the ribs, she looks at his abdomen and passes her finger over the old familiar scar. “I still remember this one,” says Ellie while she continues passing her finger over the scar.

“Yeah, I remember that, too.  You saved my life back then.  I would be dead if it wasn’t for you,” says Joel with a soft voice.

“I was so scared that day.  I thought I was going to lose you... all that blood, and all those men shooting at us.  I had to kill them, and help you walk out of there.  I was so small back then… The only thing in my mind was that you were going to die, and I was going to be alone,” says Ellie with some tears forming in her eyes.

Then she stands up and moves away from Joel, trying to hide her wet eyes.  She doesn't want him to see her crying.

“Ohhh… Ellie, how could I be so stupid, and blind, I'm so sorry... that I left you, but I thought that I was doing the right thing.  You saved my life so many times, in so many ways, and the only thing I did for you was hurt you at the end,” says Joel, standing up too, and walking until he is behind Ellie, putting his hand on her shoulder.

“I was so selfish at that time.  I wanted to save you because you became the only thing I had in this world, and I didn't want to be alone.  I cared about you a lot at that time and I was afraid to lose you,” says Ellie, putting her hands over her face.

“Ohh... Ellie, that’s not selfish, if you cared about me the same way I cared about you.  If anyone is selfish here, it’s me.  I saved you from the Fireflies, not only because they didn't know what they were doing.  They were going to kill you, and for what?  Just to try to save this world?  I know that it was a big deal, saving one life in exchange for thousands, but this world was condemned before the virus, and in that moment, I only thought about myself; I was going to lose another person that I love.  And I couldn't let that happen.  Not again.   

“Joel!  What is going to happen to us now?” asks Ellie, then she turns around and looks him in the eyes.

“I don't know, kiddo.  I think that we have to take one step at time.  Come here, kiddo… I know that I hurt you, that I ruined everything, but I want you to know that I'm going to do everything I can to make things right for you,” says Joel while he pulls Ellie close to him and embraces her.

“Oh Joel, I love you so much, and I never want to be apart from you again,” says Ellie, closing her eyes and losing herself in his hug.

“Me neither!” says Joel, kissing her on the top of her head.

After a few moments, Ellie moves away from the hug a little, and looks him in the eye again. Joel does the same, but when he looks her in the eye, he sees something in hers.  Something that he saw the night she kissed him in the bed.  Joel continues looking at her, but he notices that she’s changed a lot.  She’s no longer that little girl he met almost five years ago.  She’s become something more.  She’s a young woman now, still as beautiful and smart as before, but more mature, and brave.

_Fuck, she was out there for 6 months, 2 of them alone.  How was I so blind as to go away_ , he says to himself.

But he knows that he’s not going to make that mistake again.  This girl love hims, and he loves her back, so from now on, he’s going to make sure to fix all this and keep this girl at his side.  But at this moment, the only thing he wants to do is kiss her and never let go of her.  So he puts his hand on Ellie's face and kisses her, but not just a simple kiss.  He kisses her until both of them need some air.

After a few moments of silence, Joel speaks.  “I'm sorry… I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable… I know that you’re still mad at me, and--” Joel stops when Ellie puts a finger on his lips.

“Joel, it’s okay... even if I’m still a little mad at you, I`m not a little girl anymore, so you don't need to apologize for kissing me.  Besides, I was the one to kiss you first... a few nights ago,  remember.”

“Yeah... but… I thought that that was just a-- ” Joel stops as soon as he sees Ellie’s expression; he doesn't want to say something that might fuck this up.

“Okay!... So why don’t I just finish... put on the clean bandages, then I’ll go to the kitchen and finish with the cooking.  We also need to do few things in the cabin after eating something.  After that, maybe we can talk about all this, okay?” says Ellie, moving Joel toward the bed again.

“Okay, that sounds good,” says Joel while he sits on the bed, so Ellie can put the clean bandages on him.

After they finish with all the things they need to do, Ellie and Joel sit on the couch and talk.  Of course, they don't talk much about the kissing thing.  Ellie tells Joel that her kiss was not a mistake, but that right now, she needs a little time to make sure about her feelings for him.  Joel understands, and tells her that she can have all the time she needs, and that he is going to be there when she needs him.  So after that, they talk about other things.  Ellie continues telling him about the things that happened in Jackson.  And Joel tells her about some of the things he did when he was on his quest... not the bad parts, of course.  At the end of the day, Ellie tells Joel that the bed is big enough for the both of them… that neither of them needs to sleep on the couch anymore. Joel tries to protest, but in the end, Ellie convinces him that it’s okay, so Joel has to accept.    

 

***A few days later in the cabin***

  
  
Joel and Ellie continue with the routine: sleep, work in the cabin, talk sometimes, and cook dinner.  Even Joel is a little surprised at how Ellie can cook now.  He mentions to Ellie a few times how proud he is that she can cook now, and about other things as well.  They’ve continued to talk for the last few days.  Joel feels that Ellie is more open now to talk to him.  He thinks that he is on a good path to fix things with Ellie -- well, at least talking to her is easier now.  They’ve been sleeping together for the last few days... well, in the same and only bed in the cabin.  The condition for that is that Ellie will sleep facing one side and Joel the other, so that way they don't touch each other or be too close.

It hasn’t been snowing for two days, so Joel is trying to work outside the cabin to fix some problems.  It’s early afternoon, and even though it’s not snowing, it’s still cold outside.  Joel goes outside to work with some of the drains that are still covered with snow.  Joel goes up on a ladder and starts to clean the drains before it starts to snow again.  Joel is cleaning out the drain, but when he starts to take the snow out, he slips from the ladder and falls down to the snow.  Lucky for him, the snow on the ground is deep enough that he doesn't hurt himself that much.  But when he tries to get up, a lot of snow from the roof, as well as other things up there, falls on top of him.

“Shit!  This is perfect, now I'm wet, too,” says Joel as he tries to get the snow off of him.

Some of the snow is melting, so that makes almost all of his clothes wet.  Joel starts to curse  while he walks toward the front of the cabin.  He opens the door and goes inside, checking if Ellie is in the kitchen -- she’s not.  He assumes that she’s upstairs, so he quickly starts to take off his coat and boots, and walk toward the bathroom.  When he gets there and opens the door of the bathroom, his eyes open wide at what he sees.  

“Ellie!” is the only thing he says when he sees Ellie naked inside the bathroom... well, topless, because she’s still wearing her panties.  Joel doesn't know what to do, but he just stays there looking at her with his mouth open.

“Joel!  What the hell?” says Ellie as she sees Joel open the door and see her.  She is topless in there, hanging some clothes that she just finished washing because all her clothes are dirty.

After the reaction of Joel just watching her there, almost completely naked, she lowers her arms quickly and covers her breasts.

“Fuck!  Joel, don't you know how to knock on the door?” asks Ellie while she looks at him.

“I'm... so sorry, I thought that you were in the bedroom,” says Joel while he turns and closes the door.

After Joel closes the door, he just leans his back against the closed door.  He is thanking God for getting out of there before Ellie sees his erection.  It’s not like he hasn't seen her naked before, but back then, she was only sixteen.  Now she is more like a young woman, and he hasn’t had sex in a long… long... time.

“Ellie, what are you doing half naked in there?  Were you taking a shower?  Because I don't hear the water?” says Joel, trying to distract his mind from other things.

“No, I was doing my laundry because all my clothes were dirty.  The strange thing is why you came in here without knocking on the door,” says Ellie from inside.

“I'm sorry, I just got wet and I needed to change, and-- hey, why do you have a bandage on your arm?” asks Joel after remembering seeing Ellie’s arm bandaged.

“What?” asks Ellie, trying to find something to wear.

“Your arm.  I saw a bandage on your arm.  Did you get hurt or something?” asks Joel again, a little concerned now.

“Oh, no-- yes -- _shit!_ it’s nothing, Joel, really.”  

“Ellie, if you get cut, I need to know.  Did that happen recently?  Or was that before you got here?”

“Joel, it’s fine, it’s nothing, I'm fine, just go to the bedroom and check if I still have a t-shirt or something to wear in there.”

“Ellie, you're going to tell me why you have your arm bandaged and why you haven't told me about it.”

“Joel, I'm fine, it’s not a big deal, just go and find something I can use -- it’s starting to get a little cold in here.”

“There’s a shirt and shorts in there... I was going to use those, but you can use them.  Now when you finish getting dressed, we’re going to talk,” says Joel with a serious voice.

“Jesus, Joel, really,” says Ellie.   _Fuck!  Why does he have to be like this sometimes_? She finds the clothes and starts to dress.

“Yes, really, and hurry up, you don't need all day for that.”

Then Joel goes upstairs and exchanges his clothes for dry ones.  After he finishes, he goes down and sees Ellie already sitting on the couch, waiting for him.

“Okay, now you're going to tell me what happened to your arm -- and why aren’t you wearing the shorts?” asks Joel as soon as she enters the living room.

“They’re too big, so I’m going to use only the shirt for now,” answers Ellie.

Joel gives her a look, and goes to sit in a chair in front of Ellie.  He tries not to look at her legs, or other places that are not her face.  He can't get her naked body out of his mind, but he needs to -- and soon, before he has another problem with his body.

“Okay, so tell me what happened to your arm?” Joel asks again, so that way he can keep his mind focused on that.  

“Joel, it’s really nothing.  I'm fine,” says Ellie, crossing her arms in front of her.

“Ellie, you know that I’m going to find out what happened sooner or later, and if you are fine, why don’t you want to tell me?” says Joel, moving his hand impatiently.

“Okay, fine.  I was bitten by an infected, before I got here,” says Ellie, touching her bandaged arm.

“What!  You got bitten by an infected, and you didn't tell me?  Let me see it?” asks Joel, grabbing Ellie’s bandaged arm.

“Joel, it’s okay, it’s not a big deal.  I'm immune, remember.  I cleaned up the bite and bandaged it fast.  Anyway, it was just a small bite,” says Ellie, trying the stop Joel from taking the bandages off.

“Shit!... Oh Ellie, I'm sorry... All this is my fault.  You could’ve died out there, and--” says Joel with a sad voice while he looks at Ellie's arm.

“Joel… it’s okay, it’s just a small bite, I'm fine, and I finally found you.  This is not your fault -- it was my choice.  And being with you now... is great.  Now we can be together,” says Ellie, putting her other hand on top of Joel`s.

“Yeah, that was your choice, but one that you made because I wasn’t there.  I swore to you that I was going to protect you.  I thought that if I did this, you were going to be safe in Jackson.  But deep inside me, I knew that you were going to get out of there and go looking for me.  That is why I told Tommy to tell you the truth about Salt Lake City.  I knew that you were going to hate me for that, so I was hoping that you’d hate me enough to stay there and be safe.  I didn't expect that all that was going to hurt you so much… or that you were going to come out here, looking for me,” says Joel, lowering his head and looking at the floor in shame.  

“Joel, it’s okay, and even if all of this is partly your fault -- for leaving -- I think that in some way, all this was for the best.  All of this changed me, in one way or another… now I know that I can take care of myself, and it made me stronger.  I`m not that little girl anymore, scared and weak.  Besides, I thought that we agreed to try to leave all this in the past, remember?  What’s done is done.  We can’t change it back, what we did.  But maybe we can have a better future now.”    

“Yeah, I can see that you’ve changed a lot, but I think that I made so many mistakes... and leaving you was the worst,” says Joel, looking at Ellie now.

“I think that’s true, but we are together now.  Joel, I think that all this can be a second chance for us, and we should take it,” says Ellie.

“Ellie, what do you mean by that?”

“Joel, I love you, and nothing is going to change that.  I know that you`re not good with promises, but whatever this is or whatever you want it to be, between us... I want to be with you all the way.  I go where you go.  No more leaving me behind.” 

“I love you too, Ellie, but you think that we can do this... you think that we can leave it all behind us?”  

“Well, at least we can try, and whatever happens, if we are together, we’re going to be fine.”  Then Ellie moves herself forward and kisses Joel on the mouth.  After that, Joel lets go of Ellie’s arm, puts his hands on her face, and kisses her back.

When they finish with the kiss, Ellie remembers that she’s in Joel’s shirt, without any pants. She feels a little embarrassed, and moves away from Joel.  Even though she wants to be with Joel, she feels that she’s not ready to do anything else, for now.

“I think that I need to put some pants on… it’s getting cold, and all my clothes are wet, sooo…” says Ellie while she gets up from the couch.

“Oh, yeah… right, I think that I have some in the bedroom that might fit you,” says Joel, trying not to look at her much.

“Okay, thanks-- Hey, you haven't told me why you were so wet?” asks Ellie while she stops in the middle of the stairs and looks at Joel.

“Oh, that!... that was a little snow that fell over me.”

“Really!  Don't tell me you fell from the ladder again, did you?  And don't try to lie again.”

“Well, in my defense, the portable ladder, was a little slippery,” says Joel, standing up from his chair.

“Maybe it’s better if you let a younger person do that job for you.”

“Hey!  That hurt. Besides, I may be old, but I’m still in good shape.”

“Maybe you can prove that, if you catch me,” says Ellie, laughing in front of Joel.

“Oh, is that what you think -- okay, you’re on, girl, and when I catch you, you're going to beg me to let you go.”   

“Well, you need to catch me first.”   _But the only thing I'm going to beg for is for you to never let me go again,_ says Ellie to herself while she start running up the stairs, with Joel behind her.


	16. Love always finds a way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie and Joel continue their way to connect again, but Ellie is the want to make the first step to love again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Here another chapter, as I said before, I still have a few chapters that I can post. At least on work for now, I will try to post those, one a week if I can, but not guaranty. I still without power or internet at home, and my time at work is limited, so I will try to do the best I can. hope all of you understand the situation we are living in PR, so thanks for you support.

**Chapter 15 : Love always finds a way**

  


***A few days later***

  
  


Ellie wakes up and rubs her eyes; it’s 9:00 in the morning, and when she looks at the other side of the bed, again Joel isn’t there.   _Why is he never in the bed when I wake up?_ says Ellie to herself while she looks at the side of the bed where Joel sleeps.  Ellie just lays down again, trying to get some bad thoughts out of her head.  She is starting to get much too attached to Joel now, but sometimes, she’s afraid of losing him again, or that some day she’ll wake up and find that all this was a dream.  

_Joel and I are starting to get along... well, more than that, I hope, since we’ve been kissing each other a lot for the past week.  I'm happy that he sees me more like an adult now than the little girl he left in Jackson, but why do I feel sometimes like all this is going to end?  Well, I hope not, because if we want this relationship we have to work, we need to see each other for what we are on the inside, not the outside.  I hope that we have something new to do today, because sometimes I miss being in Jackson.  I know that maybe I can see this as a vacation, being here with Joel alone, without worrying about someone seeing us together, is great.  Joel says that we need to get out of here soon, that he is going to take me back to Jackson, but then what?  Can we still be together?_ ****

After a while, Ellie gets out of the bed and changes.  She goes downstairs to the kitchen to check if Joel is there, but he’s not. She looks for him in all the rooms inside the cabin, but she doesn’t find him anywhere, so that starts to worry her.  Ellie hurries up to the room again, to check if Joel’s things are still in there.  She starts to panic again, thoughts of him going and leaving her again still haunting her mind.  She doesn't want to feel like this, but she doesn't know what to do if that happens again.  Ellie is in the middle of the stairs when she hears the front door open.  Ellie quickly goes back down and runs toward the living room again.  As soon as she gets there, she sees Joel cleaning his boots in front of the cabin.  When he finishes, he enters the living room and closes the door behind him.

“Where the hell have you been?  I woke up this morning and you weren’t here?” Ellie starts with the questions with a little fear in her voice.

“Oh!  I'm sorry if I scared you.  I just went outside to check the pipes that bring the water in here,” says Joel, taking off his gloves and coat.

“Then why didn’t you wake me up and tell me, or at least leave a note.  I was worried that you--”

“Left?” Joel finishes the sentence.  “Oh Ellie, I’m sorry if I made you worry.  I know that you still have some doubts about me.  But I want you to know that I'm not going to do that again, okay?”

Ellie moves close to Joel and hugs him. “I know that you told me that you`re not going to leave me again, but I know how good you are with you promises.  I don't want to live without you again... it was hard the first time, and I don't want to live that way again, okay?”

“Yeah, I know, and I'm sorry for that, but you can be sure that nothing is going to separate us now if I can help it, okay?” Then Joel takes her head into his hand, and makes her look at him.  “I love you, Ellie, and nothing in this world is going to change that.  I'm so happy that you gave me a second chance.”

“I love you too, Joel, and I’m not going to let anything tear us apart again either.”  After Ellie says that, she moves closer to him and kisses him.  Joel quickly starts kissing her back.

Joel doesn't know how this girl can love him so much, after all the things he’s done.  But in a way, he is happy that she does; he knows that they have age differences, and in time, that is going to be a problem.  Ellie is too young, and in love, but if they’re going to do this, she needs to understand that eventually he is going to get older and die.  Joel is always afraid that if he gets too close to Ellie, in time, he’s going to have to leave her alone, but that is the circle of life.  But Ellie is still young, and he knows that she is going to find someone who loves her after he is gone.  He only hopes that that happens a long time from now.  But for now, maybe they can enjoy what little time he has, leave behind all the bad things that happened to them, and try to live the best way they can.  He can only wish that he and Ellie will have a happy life together while it lasts.     

“So what are we going to do today?” asks Ellie as soon as they get out of the kiss.

“Well, I think I have some good news for us,” says Joel, smiling.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“We're going hunting today!”

“Really!  I thought that you said the animals go to sleep in wintertime.”

“Well, some of them do, but not all of them, and as the winter is almost over, I think that more animals are going to be more out in the open.  Also, I saw some foot tracks in the snow going in the direction of the little lake.”  

“That’s great Joel -- if we can catch a deer, we can have some meat for at least a few weeks.  Especially if we catch something big.  That would be cool,” says Ellie, smiling.

“Yeah, that would be great, but no guns for this -- that makes too much noise, so it’s better if we use only the bow and arrow, okay?”

“Sure.  I’m just happy to get out and do something different.  This is going to be great, getting out to hunt for a few hours... it can be like old times.”

“Okay, I’m going to get what we need for the hunt, and you can go and get more clothes that we can use for the cold, okay?”  

  


***One hour Later in the forest***

  
  


“Are you sure that you saw those foot marks going in this direction?  Because it’s been like an hour and we haven't been able to find anything,” says Ellie while she walks behind Joel.

“Be patient.  I know we’re going to find something soon,” says Joel while he looks at the ground, trying to find something.

“Okay, do you want to make a bet?  The first one to get the first shot wins.  What do you think?” Ellie makes the suggestion, positioning herself in front of Joel  .

“Ohhh no… no bet this time -- let’s just continue and find this animal, whatever it is, okay?”

“Ohhhh... You’re just scared that you're going to lose,” says Ellie, trying to encourage Joel to bet.

“I think this is a good spot to stop and wait.  It’s close to the lake, and the animals always come close here, to drink the water,” says Joel, sitting behind some bushes close to the little lake.

After a few minutes of silence, he speaks again.  “So, Dylan knows now... about your immunity?” Joel asks, trying to start a conversation.

“Oh, yeah, he knows now.  I had to tell him after he saw the bite on my arm.  He started to freak out, so I needed to tell him before he started to shoot me,” says Ellie while trying to hide the smile on her face as she remembers that day.  “Man, you should’ve seen his face when I tried to convince him not to shoot me.”

“I don't think that it’s funny.  What would’ve happened if he shot you before he asked you anything?” says Joel with a serious face.

“I know, sorry, it’s just... when I remember his face, I-- oh, forget it, you’re right.  That wasn’t funny.”

“Who else knows about your condition?  In addition to the ones in Jackson that already know, of course.”

“Well, no one as far as I know.  Except for Jenna.  I told her everything… not the part about the hospital and how they couldn't find the cure.  I just told her what Dr. Wilson told me, about how there’s no way that the Fireflies can use my immunity to find a cure.”  

“Ellie, I know that Jenna is your friend, but don't you think that that was a little risky?  I mean, telling her everything... what if she told that to her mother?  Or to that kid... what was his name?”

“Brad!... And she’s not like that, Joel.  She’s not going to tell anybody -- she promised me that.”

“Yeah, but what if she does, and--” Joel stops when he sees Ellie starting to get sad.  “Sorry!  We have a deal -- we’re not supposed to talk about this.  We’re supposed to leave all this in the past.  I should no--”

“It’s okay, Joel, I know that you’re always going to try to protect me, and I know that all of this is going to take time to heal, too.  But Jenna is my best friend, and I trust her.  She even knows about what I felt for you... when you were there.”

“Shit!  She knows about that too?”

“Yeah, maybe you can't understand all this -- it’s a woman thing -- but I need to have someone to talk to.  And obviously, I can't talk to Maria, so I started to talk to Jenna.  It was good.  She even tried to help me with our situation.”

“Our situation?”

“Yeah… well, more mine than yours, because I was the one with the conflicting issue.  She wasn’t happy at first, you know--”  she is interrupted.

“Because I'm too old for you,” Joel finishes the sentence.

“Yeah, but later she noticed how much I love you, so she tried to help me with all that.  Actually, the bikini thing was her idea,” says Ellie with a smile when she thinks of that.  

“Wow, I didn't know that.  Well, I see that she is a good friend.”

“Yeah, she’s the best.  She always tried to help me and be with me when I needed her.  She was happy for me when I told her how you kissed me in the lake and told me that you love me.”

“Wow, she didn't find that weird?  Or sick?  You know, like I'm a pervert or something?. You were sixteen back then, and I'm an old man.”

“No, she was happy for me.  She said that there’s no law against that, and if I was happy with that, she didn’t see any problem.  But I can tell you that she is not going to be happy to see you when we get back.”

“I bet.  She must be furious because I left you, right?”

“Yeah, and she’s going to be furious with me for breaking my promise... I was supposed to be back for her wedding.  Oh, and Dylan knows about us, too.”

“What!... you told him that, too?”

“I didn’t tell him that -- he figured it out by himself, and now that I mention it, I think--” Ellie stops when Joel puts one hand over her mouth.

“Shhhh… I think that something’s moving in that direction,” says Joel, pointing to a place with his finger.

Then Joel and Ellie move slowly from their position and get behind some bushes.

“Okay, I see it-- oh,my god!... Joel, it’s a deer!  And a big one -- If we kill that one, we can have meat for at least 2 or 3 weeks,” says Ellie with a surprised face.

“That’s going to be good.  We ran out of meat 3 days ago so we have to play this right.  These things are fast, even in the snow, and we are not.  So the best way to kill it is to play smart,” whispers Joel to Ellie.

“Okay, what’s the plan?”  asks Ellie.

“We’re going to attack it from two sides.  We’re going to wait until he stops at the lake to drink; that’s where he’s going to be more distracted.  Then we both shoot him at the same time.”

“How do you know it’s a he?”

“Who cares!  Ellie, I’ve been hunting these things since I was a teen.  Just move to those bushes over there and I’ll go the other way, okay?” says Joel, and then he starts to move slowly.

“Fine, but how are we going to know when to shoot?”

“Count to fifty, and when you’re in position, get ready and count to ten and shoot.”

“Okay,” says Ellie and walks away.

Joel and Ellie move to their positions.  Ellie is behind some bushes, and Joel is behind a big tree.  They both aim at the deer and start to count at the same time.

“Five...” Ellie

“Four…” Joel

“Three...” Ellie

“Two...” Joel

“One.” Ellie

 

(Half an hour later)  

“Ha, ha, ha… you only say that because you're jealous.  Just admit it, and stop the whining,”  says Ellie while she walks in front of Joel, back to the cabin.

“Keep dreaming, girl -- my shot was the one that killed it.  You’re just trying to be the best.”

“That’s because I am!” says Ellie, laughing.

“Well, if you think you killed it, then why am I the one who carried it?”

“Because you lost, and the loser has to do the hard work.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that... kid, but I know that I’m the one who killed it.”

 

(Later at night)

It‘s the middle of night, and Ellie starts to move on her side of the bed.  Joel is on the other side of the bed when he hears Ellie mumble in her sleep, and he knows what that means.  So he turns and gets close to Ellie, and tries to wake her up.

“Ellie!... Ellie!... wake up,” says Joel while he puts a hand on her shoulder and shakes it.

“Noooo-- JOEL!” Ellie screams as she sits up in the bed and opens her eyes.

Joel quickly grabs her head, making her look at him. “Ellie, it’s okay, I'm here, just look at me.”

“Joel?... Are you… really here?” says Ellie with a scared expression.

“Yes, Ellie, it’s me, I'm here.  It was just a nightmare... whatever happened in there, It wasn’t real, okay,” says Joel, then he brings her close to him and hugs her.  “Shhh… it's okay, baby, everything’s fine now… Do you want to talk about it?... Sometimes that helps.”

“You--you…were-- dead!” Ellie says, burying her face in Joel’s chest while she cries.

“Shhh… I'm not dead, Ellie, I'm here with you, see!  Nothing happened, everything’s fine,” says Joel while he passes his hand behind her head, comforting her.

“I'm sorry, I know I’m not supposed to have these bad dreams anymore, but I just have the feeling that something bad is going to happen.”

“Nothing’s going to happen, Ellie -- we’re together now.  I’ll take care of you, okay?”

“Joel!” says Ellie, looking at him now. “Promise me that you’re not going to leave again, please.”  

“Ellie, I know that you don't trust me on keeping my promises, but I swear that I’m never going to leave you again, okay?  I know that leaving you in Jackson for so long was a mistake.  But you're giving me a second chance, after all I did.  I’m not going to waste that, okay?  I'm going to stay with you, and protect you the best way I can.  I promise you that, and this time, I'm going to keep my word, okay?”

“Thanks, Joel, that makes me feel much better.”

“I'm glad that you do.  Now, why don't we go back to sleep, okay?” says Joel while he helps Ellie lay down on the bed.   

“Joel, can you-- can you get close to me and hold me?  I just want to make sure that you’re still here… that will make me sleep better.”  

“Sure, kiddo, I can do that.  You just go back to sleep and I’ll be here for you.”

After a while, both of them fall back to sleep, cuddled together for the rest of the night.  No more nightmares come to Ellie that night.

  


***Two days later***

  
  


After Joel and Ellie finish the day, they go to bed.  It just started to snow a few hours earlier, so the night was getting cold.  Joel and Ellie are cuddled in the bed, trying to stay warm the best way they can.  But Ellie, for some reason, can't sleep.  Since she left Jackson, she’s been looking for some answers.  And even though Joel is giving her some, she knows that those are not all the answers she’s looking for.  She knows that Joel had another reason to leave, so she needs to know what that other reason could be.

“Joel, can I ask you something?” says Ellie, looking at the window and watching the snow fall.  

“Sure, baby, you can ask me anything.”

“You told me that you left Jackson because you want to find and stop…. this man from coming to the town and finding me.  So that way you can protect me from this Firefly leader.”

“Ellie, why are you asking me this now?  I thought that we talked about all this already.”  

“Because I know that you have another reason for leaving, and I need to know what that other reason is.”  

“Ellie, I don't know what makes you think that I have--”  Joel is cut off.

“Joel, I know that what you told me is not the only reason you have.  I just need to know the whole truth.  You at least owe me that much,” says Ellie, turning around to look Joel in the eye.

“Ellie, what I told you was the truth, so what makes you think that there’s another--”

“Because you said that you loved me, and promised me that you were never going to leave me.  And after what happened at the lake, and later in the little farm… you changed -- you started to put more distance between you and me, and a few weeks later, you were gone.  I just want to know why.  I need to know the truth, please.”    

“Ellie, when I told you that I loved you, I wasn't lying.  At first it was like I was trying to replace the loss of my daughter with you.  But later, all that changed... I saw more of you, more than I was supposed to.  You made me change... you made me want to be a better man.  And I started to have some feelings for you, in a different way... in a way that I’m not supposed to.”   

“Because that was prohibited in your time?  Joel, you know that that time is gone.  I know that you had this law, and everything was different then, but this is the world where we live now.”

“That don't make what I felt or did to you right.  Ellie, you were just sixteen.  I was supposed to protect you, take care of you.  Not have those feelings, or touch you, and fall in--” Joel stops and moves away from Ellie.

“Joel, you didn't do anything wrong -- what we did was my choice, too.  I fell in love with you, I want to be with you, I don't care about the age difference.  I know that all that was forbidden in your time, but all that is gone now,” says Ellie while she takes one of Joel`s hands in hers.

“That don’t make it right, either.  Ellie, I was 50 and you were just a kid -- what did you think was going to happen there?  When the people of the town find out what I did, ummm.  My brother would probably kill me -- that’s if Maria didn't do it first.  I can't do that to you.  I didn't want to hurt you.”

“Yeah, but didn't you think that leaving me there would hurt me more?  When you knew that being alone was my worst fear.”

“That wasn’t my intention.  I thought that if I left, in time you would forget me, and continue with your life.  Find someone close to your age, and be happy.  I, on the other hand, could go on alone and find this man and put an end to the threat.”

“Well, that’s where you were wrong, because I don't care what other people think about us.  I found someone that I love, and I don't care if you are older than me.  I love you, Joel, and as you can see, nothing is going to change that.  I don't know where the future is going to take us, but right now, I just want to be with you,” says Ellie while she gets close to him.

“Ellie, all this is more difficult for me... you grew up in this world, but I came from another one.  Things were different back then, and I got a little scared -- not just for me… for you, too.  I don't want you to be stuck with me.  I’ve always wanted a normal life for you,” says Joel with some tears forming in his eyes.

“Well, Joel, guess what -- I don't want a normal life if it’s not with you.  You wanted me to forget you, but you were wrong on that, too.  Because after all you did, I never forgot you, and another thing... maybe I can understand a little, about the age problem you have.  But guess what?  I’m not sixteen anymore.  I will be 19 in a few months, so why can't we do what we want?”

“Ellie, I don't think that that’s going to be a good idea, I don't think that you are prepared for--”

“Joel, I’ve been waiting to do this for long time, so why don’t we just finish what we started in that little lake back in Jackson.  Now, there’s only one thing I need you to do for me ”

“Ellie, what do you mean by that?”

“Joel, I want you to make love to me!”


	17. Ellie's first date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie and Joel are starting to move to a new direction, on their relationship. But after Ellie asking him to go more intimated, Joel wold try to give her the best experience he can give.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 16 : Ellie's first date**

  
  
  


Joel is taken totally by surprise.  He didn't expect Ellie to ask that question; yes, it’s something that’s been on his mind lately, but he’s not sure if all that would be right.  He loves Ellie, but this is going to be a big step, and he doesn't want Ellie to do something she is not ready for.  

“You want me to do what?” asks Joel while he moves a little away from Ellie.  

“I want us to make love.  I think you know what that means, right?” says Ellie, smiling. 

“Jesus!  Ellie, of course I know what that means, but do you?  I’m not sure that you’re ready for this, and maybe it’s--” says Joel with a worried expression. 

“Joel!  I already told you that I'm not a little girl anymore, so stop thinking about me like I am.  And besides, what we did... well, more you, in that little farm before you left.  Don’t you think that I'm ready for this?” asks Ellie, trying to hide the disappointed expression on her face. 

“Ellie, what we did was one thing, but this is totally different.”  

“Why?  We kiss, and touch each other, and you-- well, you know what you did, and that was great, so I don't see why you’re making this a big deal.”

“Well, that is my point, Ellie, if you are a-- I mean-- if you’ve never had sex before… this is going to be a little--” 

“Painful?  I know that, Joel, I talked to Jenna and Maria about this a long ago.  And believe me, they told me a lot,” says Ellie, showing a little embarrassment on her face.

“Yeah, that is… wait, what?  Why did you want to talk about that with them?  Do they know you want to have sex… with… someone?” says Joel, a little surprised. 

“Well, Jenna knows that I want to have sex with you, but I told Maria that I only want to know for a future occasion, you know... if I found someone.” 

“Well, that’s great, now I know why that girl is going to hate me, and think that I'm a pervert.”   

“Joel, she doesn't think like that, I already told you that she was okay with that.  Well, not too happy, either, but she doesn't mind that.  And even if she did, or anyone else, I don't care what they think about us.  I thought that you don't care either, so I don't see why you’re acting like this.  I thought you said that you loved me, and when two people are in love, isn’t this what they do?” says Ellie with a sad expression.

“Ellie, I do love you -- the sex thing has nothing to do with that.  But I don't know if you`re ready for this yet.  Yes, sex is part of being in love, but it’s not an obligation, if you`re not ready for it. This is going to be new for you... for us, so we can take all this slowly.  We don't need to rush things.” 

“Joel, I already told that I want this.  I know that I don't have any experience on the sex thing, but I read a lot.  You don't need to worry about me -- I just want to do this with you, I just want to feel you close to me.  Do you know how much I think about this?  Or how long I’ve wanted to do this with you?”  

“Ellie, this ain’t that simple, okay?  I don’t want to hurt you. I know that you want us to try this, and I want to as much as you do.  But maybe it’s better if we just wait.  We don't have to do this right now, we can--”

“Joel, wait for what? I think that we’ve waited enough.  Joel, after all that happened to us, you want to wait?  We don't know what could happen in the future.  I don't want to wait and then something happens to one of us, and we don't have the chance to be together... don’t you think that that’s scaring me?” says Ellie with a little hurt in her voice.

“Ellie, nothing’s going to happen to us, and it’s not that I don't want to do this, it’s more like… like--”

“It’s more like what, Joel?  Like you continue see me like a kid, is that it?  If I was more like a woman, I don't think that we’d be having this conversation,” says Ellie, moving out of the bed and standing in front of Joel with her arms crossed in front of her chest.  

“Ellie, that’s not true, I think that you’re taking this the wrong way, and maybe--”

“You know what!  Forget it, you already killed the mood, and you know what I think?  That you’d prefer to have sex with that crazy bitch that tried to kill you,” says Ellie, starting to leave the room. 

“Wait… what!... Ellie, where are you going?… Ellie!”

“I’m going to sleep on the couch, so have a good night, Joel,” says Ellie while she walks down the stairs and goes to the the living room.   

“Ellie, wait!”...  _ Fuck!  Nice going, Joel, now she’s going to have another reason to be pissed at you _ , says Joel to himself.

Ellie goes down to the living room and sits on the couch.  She puts her hands over her face and tries to hold back the tears that are forming in her eyes.  She was so happy 10 minutes ago... she was going to make love with the man she loves, and now she just feels like her heart is all broken again.

Joel is sitting on the edge of the bed, trying to find a way to fix this.  Ellie was so happy a few minutes ago, and now he feels like he just broke her heart all over again.  He wants to have sex with her as much as she does.  But this is going to be her first time, and he just wants her first time to be special, not just sex.  He knows that after all that happened to her, she deserves something more.  But he doesn't know how to tell her that; he’s never had the chance to talk about this.

Joel stays on the bed, trying to think of a way to make Ellie understand, until--  _ That’s it!  Maybe I can give her something special… now I just need to figure out how I tell her,  _ says Joel to himself while he stands up from the bed and walks down the stairs.

Joel enters the living room and stands in front of the couch.  Ellie is lying there with her back toward him.  He just takes in some air and breathes deeply, then looks at Ellie’s body.  Now he knows that the hard part is coming; he only wishes that everything will work out the way he’s planning it to be. 

“Ellie, can we talk… please?” says Joel as soon as he sits in a chair in front of the couch.

“Joel, go away, I don't want to talk right now… I don't want to say something that I can't take back later.  So please just go to bed,” says Ellie without looking at him. 

“Okay, then I’ll do the talking.”

“Joel, please... I just want to sleep and forget all this, so go away.”

“I know that you’re not going to forget all this, so I can't let you go to sleep like this.  So just listen, okay.  I know that sometimes I try to do the right thing and end up doing the wrong one.  It’s not like I don't want to us to have sex.  You are right about that being part of a relationship between two people who love each other, but that ain’t all of it.”  

“But if both of us want this, why can't we just do it?” 

“I want to be with you, more than you think, but we weren't born in the same time, and in mine, things were different.  This is going to be the first time for you, and that’s going to be an experience that you’re never going to forget.  I just want to make sure that you have a good one... something special,” Joel starts to explain. 

“But if we love each other, isn’t that special enough?” says Ellie, turning around and looking at Joel. 

“Yes, it is, but I want to give you something to remember, something special.  Before the world went to shit, we did something that made a girl feel good and happy... I don't think that people do that in this time now, but we can try,” says Joel, smiling. 

“Like what?” says Ellie, sitting up on the couch and drying some tears from her eyes.

“Like having a date.”

“ A date!...  And what is that?” asks Ellie, curiously.

“How can I explain this... okay, it’s when a guy wants to take the girl he loves out to places, to be together and have a good time.  You know, like go to see a movie, go for a walk, or take her to a restaurant and have dinner with her.  I don't know if I'm the right person to explain this, but you get the picture, right?  And after a few months of that, they end up making love... well, most of them, but of course, all that takes some time.”

“Really? Wow… you people did some strange things in your time.  But Joel, I don't want to wait months for that, and how are we going to do this date thing out here?” asks Ellie.

“Well, we don't have the things that we had back then, but maybe there’s something I can do for you.”

“Joel, this sounds nice, but why do you want to do this?  I don't need something special, if I have you.” 

“Well, that makes me feel… well… thanks, Ellie, I feel lucky to have you in my life.  But don’t worry, I have something in mind that can work for you.”

“Joel, what are you going to do?” asks Ellie with some curiosity.

“Well, I’m going to ask you if you want to go on a date with me?” asks Joel, taking Ellie's hand in his.

“Joel, that’s nice, but we don't have all those things you mentioned before.  So what can we do to have this date?”

“I know that these days, it’s difficult to do these things, especially in here, but at least we can have a special dinner.  So what do you say, do you want to do this with me?” asks Joel again.

“All of this feels so strange, but yes… I’d like to go on a date with you,” answers Ellie, smiling. 

“Great, so I’m going to start to look for the things I need, and in two days, we can have our first date, okay?  Now it’s really late and cold, so it’s better if both of us go to bed, unnn?” asks Joel, extending his hand to Ellie. 

“Okay, but Joel, I don't know what to do on a date?” asks Ellie while she gives her hand to Joel. 

“Don't worry, we can talk more about this tomorrow, okay, now let's have some sleep, c’mon,” says Joel, pulling Ellie up from the couch and guiding her upstairs to the bed.  

  
  


***Two days later in the morning***

  
  


Joel is in the basement, looking for the things he needs for the special dinner for Ellie.  He told Ellie the day before that she doesn't need to do anything special, just be herself.  He knows that it’s not going to be like the old times.  Besides, it’s not like he has too much experience; he didn't do that much with Sarah`s mother.  He’s already found the food and ingredients that he needs to prepare the dinner for tonight.  They are lucky that they still have a lot of meat from the deer they killed a few days ago.  After he tells Ellie about the date thing, he thanks the God up there that they are alone in here, because he doesn't know what people are going to think about a 53-year-old man dating an 18-year-old girl.  He’d probably be in jail by now for that.  

Joel tries not to think about that.  He knows that things were different in his time, but who can explain love?  He knows that Ellie doesn't mind the age difference, but he sometimes does, even as much as he loves Ellie and she loves him.  He knows that some people aren't going to understand that, not that he would blame them.  But who cares what other people do in this fucking world?  The only thing that matters here now is survival, and trying to live the best way you can.  He hopes that his brother can understand that when they come back to Jackson, and he finds out about Ellie and him.

_ I know that Ellie was a little excited about this... she already asked me several times why we didn't do all this yesterday.  I told her that the generator thing was causing trouble, and that I need to fix that.  And it was the truth -- I checked that thing, and fixed the problem, but I know that it’s only temporary.  But I know that she is more excited about the sex part -- fuck!  Who can blame her?  I am too, I just want to do this the right way.  But since I saw her in the bathroom almost completely naked, I can't get that image from my mind.  Even though I have to use an excuse to go outside and take care of the problem those images give me.  Ellie is becoming a beautiful young girl now, I’m not going to deny that, and if she wants to give me a second chance, I think that we can make this work.  Ellie wants this after all that happened, and I just want her to be happy, so maybe we can find some happiness together in this fucking world.   _

After one hour in the basement, Joel finds everything he needs for the dinner, including some candles and other things he wants to use.  He looks at the living room to see if Ellie is there, but she’s not, so he thinks that she has to be outside or in the room.  So he takes all the things he needs and puts them in the kitchen, so that way he can start to prepare the dinner.

 

(Some time later with Ellie)

Ellie is pacing outside in the back of the cabin, where the little shed is.  She is excited because today is the day she’s been waiting for, for so long.  Joel told her that they need more logs for the chimney and the machine is in the basement.  So she tells him that she can bring that to the cabin, as he was in the basement.  She is a little nervous, so she needs a little time to get that out of her system.  Her date with Joel is going to be tonight.  She never thought she’d be doing something like that.  She wants to do this more than anything, but the problem is that she doesn't know what to do.  Yeah, she’s seen a lot of movies, back in Boston and later in Jackson, but she knows that reality is not the same as the movies, so she needs to prepare herself for this.  

_Joel told me some of the things that a couple does when they’re dating, but is this what we are now?  A couple?  Well, I want to think that we are, and maybe after this night, we’re going to be, for real.  I just hope that all this goes well,_ says Ellie to herself while she starts to pick up the logs for the chimney.

It is midday already when Ellie returns inside the cabin.  She says hello to Joel and puts the logs close to the fireplace.  Joel tells her that he left a plastic box in the room for her, so Ellie goes up the stairs and enters the room.  Joel tells her that he found some clothes in that box when he arrived here.  The clothes belong to the wife of the owner of this cabin, and he thought that as she was the same height and weight as Ellie, maybe there she can find something different to use.  He tells her that he washed them a few weeks ago after she arrived, so if she finds something nice, she can use that for the dinner tonight.  Ellie sees the plastic box in a corner of the room, so she goes and picks it up and puts it on the bed, and starts to look inside.

_ Okay, let's see what we have here _ . She starts to take the clothes out and check them one by one.  Much of them are old-fashioned; not that she is an expert, but she remembers seeing something like these in an old magazine.  __

After half an hour, Ellie finally finds what she is looking for.   _ Yes!  This looks perfect, and I think that it’s going to suit me well. _ She puts the dress on the bed and puts the others back in the box and starts to look for some shoes that she can use with the dress.  Lucky for Ellie the woman that lived here was her size, more or less, so she finally finds the shoes she needs for the dress. Joel, on the other hand, isn’t so lucky: the man that lived in the cabin before was a little shorter than him.  So finding something different to wear is more difficult for him.    

“Ellie, the food is going to take a little longer, so I’m going to take a bath.  When I finish, you can take yours, so that way I can finish the dinner.  Is that okay with you?”  asks Joel from downstairs.

“Okay, Joel, that’s fine -- I already found what I’m going to wear, so that’s fine by me.”

After a few hours, they are bathed and dressed... well, Joel is first, of course.  He finds some decent clothes to wear, even putting on a tie.  He knows that all this feels a little out of character, but for Ellie, he will do anything.  Before Ellie comes down, he finishes the food and puts it on the table; he wants this to be perfect for Ellie.  Then he lights the 2 candles he found in the basement and puts some grape juice in two wine glasses he found there.  He would prefer real wine, but this is the best thing he could find.   _ Shit!  What I'd give to have some whiskey right now.  _

After a few minutes, Joel has everything ready.  It’s getting dark outside so the place feels a little romantic.  The only thing he needs right now is for Ellie to finish getting ready and come down.  After a few moments, he hears Ellie coming down the stairs, so he goes to his position and waits for her.  When Ellie goes down and enters the living room, where Joel put the table close to the window, she sees Joel with his eyes wide open, so in that moment, she knows that she chose well.

“What?” asks Ellie when she sees that Joel doesn't move or say anything.  “Joel!”

“Oh--sorry… I don't think-- that... wow!  Okay, who are you and what did you do with Ellie?” says Joel while he just stays there, looking at her.

“That is the best thing you can say?... Really?” says Ellie, walking closer to him.

“Oh, no… you-- you look… beautiful,” says Joel, looking at her from her head all the way down.

“Thank you, Joel, that’s so nice of you.  So what do we do next?  This is my first time doing something like this, remember.”

“Okay, it’s nothing complicated, just follow me.”  Joel takes Ellie’s hand and guides her to the table, then pulls the chair out so that Ellie can sit.  “Now you wait here and I’ll go and bring the food.  If this was a restaurant, a waiter would be the one to serve the dinner, but this time, just for you, I will be both.  Your waiter and your date.”   

Then Joel walks to the kitchen to bring the food to the table.  Ellie giggles as she watches Joel doing all this like a gentleman.

“This is wine?” says Ellie, looking at the glass on the table. 

“Oh, no, it’s just grape juice.  I traded a few bottles a few months ago.  I know that it’s not wine, but it’s close enough,” says Joel from the kitchen.

Joel is watching Ellie while she looks out the window.  He sees how beautiful she’s become.  Not like she wasn’t before, but now, she is more like a woman.  He likes the dress she is wearing; it’s red, and very tight and short.  She wears black shoes that look nice with the dress.   Her hair is half-braided to the side, not in the ponytail that she normally uses.  There’s no makeup in the cabin, so she doesn't have any on, but her face is so clean and perfect that she just looks great. 

Joel gets back to the table, bringing the two plates of food and putting one in front of Ellie, the other at his place, and sits. 

“Joel, all of this looks great -- the food, the table, even you look so handsome.  I’ve never seen you wearing something like that in Jackson.  Thank you for all this.  It’s really nice, and romantic?” 

“Well, this is all for you, so I'm glad that you like it.”  Then Joel takes the glass, and suggests that Ellie do the same with hers, so she does.  

“Okay, now we eat?” asks Ellie.

“Yes, but first we need to make a toast,” says Joel.

“A  what?” asks Ellie, a little confused.

“A toast is when two people drink in favor of something.  Okay, just take your glass, and touch it  to mine, and say... to our first date.”

“To our first date,” repeats Ellie.  Both of them drink a little juice and put their glasses on the table. 

“And now we can eat,” says Joel, looking at Ellie.

“Thanks, because I'm starving,” says Ellie while she starts to put some food in her mouth.

They spend a few hours eating and talking.  Ellie tells a few jokes.  They’re having a good time, for the first time after all that’s happened to them.  Ellie talks some more about Jackson, and tells Joel things about Maria and Tommy.  Joel is so glad to see Ellie so happy -- something that he hasn’t seen for a long time. 

After they finish the dinner, Ellie feels so happy that she just looks at Joel without saying anything. Joel is doing the same.  It appears the both of them are waiting for the other to say something, so Ellie breaks the silence.  

“Joel, this was very nice.  I want to thank you for all of this.  I never thought that you could be so romantic, and do something like this... I loved it, thanks.”

“I`m glad that you enjoyed this.  I really had a good time myself, and I’m happy that you like it,” says Joel, taking one of Ellie's hands in his own.  “Well, there’s only one thing we need to do to make this a perfect date.” 

“Yeah?  And what is that?” asks Ellie.

“You will know in a moment.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I know that this chapter is a little, out of place, in the world they are living but just try to make Joel to give something else, that just sex. hope you liked that way thanks.


	18. A Night to Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally the day for Ellie be with Joel as arrive, after Joel give her the best night she can have. Ellie and Joel night is not over yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention. 
> 
> Warning: This chapter contain sex, if you don`t like to read that, don`t read this chapter, to the rest that do enjoy it. I not good at this so I hope that is ok, thanks.

**Chapter 17 : A Night to Remember**

  
  
  
  


Joel smiles at Ellie and stands up from the chair.  He walks toward a small table in a corner of the living room.  

“Joel, what’re you doing?” asks Ellie while she watches Joel messing with something there.

“Just give me a minute,” says Joel while he finishes what he’s doing.

After a few moments, he steps away from the table and some music starts to play.  Then he walks back to the dinner table and offers Ellie a hand.

“Will you do me the honor of dancing with me?” says Joel, trying to be as gentle as possible.   

Ellie tries to hold in her giggle, but fails.  She finds this part of Joel very sexy and lovely. Something that she’s never seen before.  _  It’s possible that Joel was like this on his first date!  _ __ She tries to imagine a younger Joel being like this.  She giggles again, just because she thinks of that.  

“Joel, I don't know how to dance,” Ellie finally answers, a little embarrassed.  

“Don't worry about that, I will show you -- all you need to do is follow me.  So will you give me the honor?”

Ellie smiles at him and takes his hand.  “It would be my pleasure,” says Ellie, trying to act like some movie she’s seen before.  Joel helps her stand up from the chair, then walks with her to the center of the living room.  The music continues playing a nice slow song; he remembers this old song, and it’s a good choice for this.  

“Okay, this is a good song, and slow, so it’s going to be easy to show you the moves,” says Joel, stopping in front of her.

“Okayyy!... So what do I do now?”

“Give me your right hand!”  Ellie does what she’s told, and gives him her right hand.  Joel takes her hand in his, and moves his right hand to her waist.  Ellie feels like a shock of electricity move through her whole body... she remembers feeling this before, when Joel started to teach her how to swim.  She loves that sensation -- it makes her feel good, and she knows now that only Joel can make her feel like that.

“Okay, now put your left hand on my shoulder,” Joel says to her.  Then Ellie moves her arm and puts her hand on his shoulder, and smiles at him.

“Okay, now what do we do?” asks Ellie while the music continues playing.

“Now we dance!”  Then Joel starts to move in as he grabs Ellie’s waist and moves her with him. He tries to remember the last time he did this.  But nothing can compare to this, dancing with Ellie; it seems so unreal, but feels so good.

Joel continues with the dance, showing Ellie how to move and follow his lead.  Ellie steps on his feet a couple of times, but Joel doesn't mind.

“Joel, where did you find that?” asks Ellie with curiosity.  She saw a few things that make music, like a walkman, Cd player, even some radios that were used to transmit music back in Boston. But she never saw anything like this. 

“Oh, that’s an old LP player I found a few months ago, but it didn't work, so I left it down there,” explains Joel.

“LP?  It looks like a big Cd player!” 

“Well, this was the predecessor of the Cd players.  It just plays old vinyl discs.  I haven't seen one like it in a long time.  Even in my time it was a collector’s item.” 

“Wow, and how did you make it work?  You said that it wasn't working when you found it.”

“Well, I just checked it again yesterday and found out that it was only a missing part that made that thing not work.  So I just looked for it and found it.  I found some of the records, and tested it, and it works fine.”

“Well, that’s great, I love this -- thanks, Joel-- eh what happened?” Ellie asks as she hears the music change to something different.

“Oh, the LP has a few different types of music... this one is a romantic ballad.  Okay, this one is nicer to dance to... just put your arms around my neck.”  Ellie puts her arm around Joel’s neck as he puts his around Ellie’s waist.  Ellie quickly feels something inside of her, and that makes her even happier.

They continue the dance for a few more minutes, but the way they’re holding each other, Ellie feels like it’s an eternity.  Joel`s hands bring her closer to him, so Ellie lays her head on Joel’s shoulder.  It feels like a dream; it feels so good that she doesn't want to wake up from it.  But after a few minutes, Ellie speaks.  

“Joel!” 

“Umm!”

“The music stopped!” says Ellie, but continues with the dance. 

“Really?... well, that means that this date is almost over,” says Joel, but he continues, too.

“I don't want this to end -- I want to be in your arms forever,” answers Ellie in a lower voice.

“Do you really want this?”

“Yes, and do you know why?” asks Ellie.

“Why?”

“Because you are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and also because I love you.” 

“I love you too, Ellie, with all my heart.”

When Ellie hears that, she moves her head away from him and looks him in the eyes.  Then she moves her hands and puts them on Joel’s face, brings him down to her level, and kisses him.  The kiss is so passionate that after a few moments, both of them need to break the kiss to get some air.

“Joel?”

“Yes!”

“I want you to take me upstairs and make love to me!” Ellie says while she looks at him with all her love reflecting in her eyes. 

“Ellie, are you sure that you want to do this?  Because if we do this, everything’s going to change?”

“Joel, I’ve wanted to do this for a very long time, and nothing would make me happier than to do this with you.  And yes, things are going to change, but I know that it’s for the better, because I love you, and nothing is going to change that.”

“I love you, too Ellie, more than you know.”  And with that, Joel kisses Ellie again.  After he separates himself from Ellie, he grabs Ellie’s legs and picks her up in his arms.  Ellie looks at him with a surprised expression, and then gives him a little kiss on the lips.  After that, Joel carries her up the stairs and to the bedroom. 

When they get in front of the bed, Joel lowers Ellie to the floor, but still holds her in his arms.  He looks at her and doesn’t see a little girl anymore, just a beautiful young girl in front of him now.  

“Ellie, are you sure that this is what you want?” asks Joel again, just to make sure that this is what Ellie wants.  He looks down at her face, waiting for her answer. 

“Joel, there is nothing I want more than to be with you.  I love you and I want to show you how much,” says Ellie, covering the two sides of his face with her hands.

“I think that you’ve already shown me that.  I love you too, kiddo.” Then Joel lowers his head and kisses Ellie again.  He starts to kiss her with all the passion and love he has for her, and Ellie kisses him back the same way.

After a few moments, they separate. “Joel, can you help me take this dress off,” says Ellie with a smile. 

“Of course -- did I tell you that you look beautiful in this dress?” says Joel, turning Ellie around and proceeding to lower the zipper of the dress all the way down.

Ellie giggles a little.  “Yeah, I think that you did several times during dinner, so I'm glad that you like it.”  After the dress falls down to the floor, Ellie turns around to face Joel so that way she can make him look at her completely naked body.  

When the dress falls completely down, he sees that Ellie isn’t wearing anything under the dress, so now she’s completely naked in front of him.  Joel starts to look at her beautiful body.  He notices that she has some little scars, here and there, but he is a little surprised at how much Ellie has grown up.

Joel starts to remember the first time he saw her with almost nothing on; she was in a bedroom in their house in Jackson.  He was supposed to be out all night, but he returned early and found Ellie in the room... well, touching herself.  That was something that started to change the relationship between them.  A few months later, after he started to teach her how to swim in the lake, he saw her again with that red bikini she was wearing.  He knows what happened later, when they were together in the little farm, was going to change everything, and all that brought them to this point. 

“Joel!  Do you like the view?” asks Ellie in a sexy voice when Joel just stays there, looking at her.

“Ehh… What?” says Joel, after he is brought out of his thoughts.

Ellie starts to giggle when she sees him try to react to the question, a little confused.   

“Well, I can see that you like what you see,” she says, looking now to Joel’s lower part, seeing his erection forming in his pants.  “But I think that now it’s your turn to take off your clothes.”

Then Ellie moves close to him, and after she gives him a little kiss, Ellie starts slowly taking off his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. 

After a few minutes, Ellie finishes taking his clothes off, and both of them are naked in front of each other.  Then Ellie moves a little away from him and starts to look at his body.  She’s never seen Joel completely naked before, so this is the first time for her.

Of course, she’s seen him shirtless before, and in his briefs a few times, but she’s never seen him naked.  Ellie’s eyes are stuck on his lower part, surprised at the look of Joel’s hard cock.  “Wow, Joel... that… is… is--wow.”  She tries to speak while she continues to look at it.   

Joel moves a little closer and puts his hands on Ellie’s shoulders.  “Ellie, have you ever seen a guy naked before?” Joel quickly asks her.

“No!... I had some dreams about… you know... your-- sometimes, but I’ve never seen one in person.”  

“You have dreams about me like that?” Joel asks with a little surprise.

“Ummm”  _ Shit! _  Ellie quickly lifts her head and looks at Joel with her eyes wide open and her face reddish, when she realizes what she just said.   

“Well, I hope I can do better than in your dreams,” says Joel, smiling.

Ellie just looks at him and giggles.  “I hope so, but you were very good in those.” She giggles again.

“Well, let's find out.”  Then Joel moves close to her and starts to kiss her again.  He grabs her legs and takes her in his arms without breaking the kiss.  He moves to the side of the bed and lowers Ellie onto it.  After he puts Ellie on the bed, he starts to look at her, just trying to take any doubt away from his mind, and make what he is going to do next a good experience for Ellie.  Of course he loves her, and wants to be with her, but he knows that he hasn’t had sex since Tess, and that was a long time ago.     

“Joel, I need you,” says Ellie, waiting for him to get into the bed with her.

Ellie`s words take him out of his thoughts, so he quickly moves down to the bed and starts  kissing her again.  She welcomes him by grabbing his head and sticking her tongue inside his mouth.  They kiss each other like they are hungry for love.  After a few minutes, Joel breaks the kiss, moves her head to the side, and starts to kiss her neck.  After that, he starts to suck her, hard, and sometimes he gives her a little bite.  All of this is new for Ellie, even after what they did in the farm.  She’s never felt Joel so passionate, that Ellie just starts to moan in pleasure. 

She starts to remember the first time they were together in that little farm.  She thought that that day was great, but she is starting to think that this time, everything’s going to be better.  She starts to feel Joel moving away from her neck, and she knows that he just left a mark there.  She is about to protest, when she feel Joel’s mouth on one of her breasts.  She moans again at the sensation he makes her feel.  Joel continues sucking her beautiful pink nipple, then he lowers his other hand and starts to rub Ellie’s pussy.  He starts slowly, just rubbing the outside of her, but he notices that Ellie is already wet.  Ellie can't resist the sensation that Joel is provoking in her, as she starts to feel the electricity running all over her body, and making her moan harder.

Joel moves his head again, and goes back to kiss her on the mouth, then he takes two of his fingers, inserting them inside of her pussy.  Ellie moans hard inside Joel`s mouth as soon as she feels the fingers start to move faster and deeper inside her.  After a few minutes of that, Joel feels Ellie getting wetter, so he knows that she is close to her climax.  So he moves his head back to her neck, and continues fingering her faster.  Ellie can't take much of that as she starts to breathe faster and moan harder.  “Ohhhh Joel… I’m going to cum… soon...”   That encourages Joel more as he slips in a third finger, and goes back to her breast.  He starts to suck it again.  That’s enough for Ellie. “Fuck, Joooeeeel!” She screams Joel’s name as soon as she cums. 

Both of them stay there for a few minutes, trying to get some air back.  Ellie’s heart is beating really fast at the sensation of the first orgasm that she’s had in a long time.  

“Ellie, are you okay?” asks Joel as he moves beside her and passes one hand across her face.  

“Okay?  Fuck!... Joel, that was… wow… intense, but it made me feel great.” Then she puts one hand on his face and kisses him.   

“Well, I'm glad that you enjoyed that, because I want you to have the best experience possible,” says Joel after they break away from the kiss. 

Ellie looks at him now, with all the lust and love that she could ever imagine she’d have in all her life.  “Joel, I want you… I want the whole package.  I want you to make love to me.” 

Joel looks at her and sees all the love she has for him.  He can see it because he feels the same for her.  So he moves forward and kisses her again, more passionately this time.  He moves closer to her again.  Then he starts to kiss her chest, and move the kisses all the way down, kissing her entire body in the process.  She starts to moan again while Joel continues  to pleasure her.  “Ohhh... Joel, that feels so goood...” Joel continues his way down, and when he gets to his destination, he gives her a few kisses there. “Ahhhh… Joel!”  After a few kisses, he starts to lick her pussy, and that makes Ellie arch her back, and make sounds of ecstasy.  Ellie starts to feel wet again at the sensation that Joel makes her feel, so she spreads her legs more, to give Joel more access to her.  After a few minutes, Joel stops and looks at Ellie, as if he is asking her if she’s ready for him.  

She looks at him.  “Joel, I'm ready, please -- I can`t wait anymore!” 

It was all Joel needed to hear, so he moves close and grabs both of Ellie’s thighs, and spreads them a little more.  Then he moves into position and lowers his body close to Ellie`s.  He positions himself between her legs, takes his cock, and places it at Ellie's entrance. “This is going to hurt a little, Ellie... are you sure you want do this?” Joel asks her for the last time, making sure that this is what Ellie wants. 

“Yes, Joel, I want you… all of you inside me, please,” answers Ellie, putting her hand on his shoulder. 

“Okay.”  Then Joel starts to enter her slowly.  He knows that this is her first time, so this is going to be a little painful for her.  So he wants to make sure to give Ellie all the time she needs, and try to make this as painless as possible.  Ellie closes her eyes tight as soon as she starts to feel the pain.  Yeah, Maria and Jenna told her that her first time was going to be a little painful.  So she tries to prepare herself for this, sure that they said that after the pain is gone, she will start to feel the pleasure of the act.  That's not going to make this easier, but she’s up for the  challenge.

Joel sees some tears escaping Ellie’s closed eyes, and he knows that the pain’s started.  So he needs to do something else to distract Ellie from the pain, while she gets used to his dick inside of her.  So he lies down on top of her and starts to kiss her and talk to her.  “Ohhh Ellie, you're so beautiful.”  Ellie opens her eyes and looks at him with so much love in her eyes.  At that point, Joel decides to finish the process and move forward inside of her.  Ellie gasps as soon as Joel enters her completely and breaks the barrier that made her a virgin.

Ellie utters a little cry and closes her eyes as she feels more pain coming.  Joel stops and hugs her on the bed, giving her more time to get more comfortable.  After a few minutes, Ellie starts to feel less pain, and Ellie tells Joel that she’s okay now, so he can continue.  

Joel wants to be sure, so he asks her again, “Ellie, are you sure that you want to continue?  We can do this another time, if you want,” says Joel, looking Ellie in the eye.

“Joel, I think that we already passed the hard part, so please, I just want to get to the good one,” answers Ellie while she moves closer to him and starts to kiss him again. 

Joel takes that as a yes for him to continue.  He starts to plunge himself deeper inside of her and starts to move again.  He starts slowly at first, but after a few minutes, he starts to move faster.  Ellie starts to moan again in pleasure now, as the pain is gone; she wants to feel all of Joel inside of her.  Joel thrusts into her with a steady rhythm; he wants Ellie to enjoy this as much as she can.  As he knows that this is Ellie’s first time, he wants to give her all the pleasure she can get.   

As the time passes, Ellie encourages Joel to move faster as her climax is starting to form in her, and she knows that she’s going to come soon, again.  Joel starts to thrust faster as he knows he can't take much of that either, but he wants Ellie to come first, so he is trying to hold himself off the best he can.  Ellie starts to moan harder as she starts to cry Joel’s name louder.  “Ahhh Fuck!  Joel, this feels so good, Ahhh...” 

Joel continues thrusting into her as he grabs one of her legs so he can go deeper inside.  “C`mon, Ellie, come for me...”

As Ellie doesn’t need more encouragement for that, she screams harder, “Ahhhh… Fuck, Joel!... I'm cuming!... Ahhhh!”  Then she comes.

As Joel feels the wetness coming out of her, he knows that he met his goal.  But he needs to finish his… he makes a few more thrusts, and as he starts to feel his own climax, he quickly pulls himself out of her and comes on Ellie’s belly.  Then he collapses beside her as he triess to get some air. 

“I'm sorry for the last part, but as we don't have any protection, I can't come inside of you. We  don't want any accidents to happen, do we,” says Joel, trying to explain the situation, and almost without air. 

Ellie moves to the side of the bed and takes a t-shirt that she left on the table in the morning, and starts to clean herself.  She finds the last part a little strange, but not completely disgusting... well, maybe a little.  But as much as she wants one day to give Joel a baby, right now is not the time for that.  So after she finishes, she moves closer to Joel and puts her head on his chest, and snuggles up to him. 

“You don't need to apologize for that, Joel, it’s okay, I guess, and today you made me the happiest girl in this whole fucking world,” says Ellie with a big smile on her face. 

“I'm glad that you feel that way, Ellie.  It’s good to see you so happy, and I hope that this wasn’t too hard for you,” says Joel, putting one arm around her.

“Are you fucking kidding me, this was much… much better, than all the dreams I ever had.  I assume that the next time is going to be much... much better… right?” 

“Of course, but maybe it’s better if we get some rest now, before you start thinking about doing this again, okay?”

“Don't tell me that you`re getting too old for this, Joel,” says Ellie, lifting her head and looking at him.

“Who said I'm old!  But as I haven't done this in a long time, maybe I’m going to need a little time to get used to this again.”

“What!... You didn't get some practice with that crazy bitch?  Shit!  What was her name…”

“Who...  Amber!   Are you kidding me, I never touched that crazy bitch, I already told you that.” 

“Ha, ha, ha, I know… I know, I’m just fucking with you.  But if I find out that you slept with her, you’re going to get in a lot of trouble, okay?” says Ellie, looking at him more seriously now.

“Ellie, I swear that I didn't do anything with that crazy bitch… okay?”    

“Okay, don't worry, I believe you.  Now, get some rest, old man, because I want to do this again as soon as possible,” says Ellie while she lowers her head back on Joel’s chest.

“Fuck!  I created a monster,” says Joel, putting his other hand on his face.

“Well, you’re lucky that this monster loves you so much,” says Ellie as she passes her hand over his chest.

“I love you too, Ellie, but please, can we get some sleep now.”

“Of course, Joel, you`re going to need all the strength you can get for tomorrow,” says Ellie, giggling.

After that, Joel closes his eyes as he passes one hand over Ellie's hair.  She closes her eyes too, as she can feel Joel’s heart slowing in his chest, until both of them fall asleep.


	19. When a good Dream came True

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Joel and Ellie make love for the first time, the waiting for them to express their love is over. as more of Ellie exploration on sex and love continue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention. 
> 
> A/N: Ha, another warning in this chapter, we going to have some smutty here to, as a part of the last chapter, hope you like it.

**Chapter 18 : When a good Dream came True**

  


***Next day in the morning***

  


Ellie starts to open her eyes when the light of the day strikes her face.  The windows are open, and even though it’s still winter, some of the sunlight starts to shine through the gray sky. Ellie can’t believe that she’s been in this cabin for more than a month, but she’s never felt so happy about it.  Ellie turns around and looks at the other side of the bed, where Joel normally sleeps now… but he isn’t  there.  Quickly, she starts to look around the room to check if Joel is sitting in the old chair he has in there, but he’s not there, either.

Ellie lays back down in the bed and covers her face with her hands, trying not to think that all that happened yesterday was one of her dreams.   _What happened last night... all of that can't be a dream, can it?  No, can't be, because I remember waking up again, later in the night, after we had the most wonderful sex for the first time.  And I remember waking him up and having sex with him again.  So I can't have two different dreams in the same night, or can I?  Well, I hope that all that was not a dream, because what happened last night was the best thing I’ve felt in a long time.  I still feel him inside of me... oh God, that was so good -- yes, it was a little painful at first.  I didn't know how to do it right; I’ve only had the experience of touching myself, but I’m lucky that Joel knows how to please a woman, because he did a great job.  Oh my God, the second time was even better.  I didn't feel much pain, and Joel is so great in bed that I don't know how I waited for so long.  Yes, Maria already told me about all that, and that there was going to be some blood too, when I did it for the first time.  Joel was a total gentleman, but he knew what to do, and I thank God for that.  He was so lovely that he made sure that I have a good experience.  He asked me every time if I was okay.  The second one was great -- Joel didn’t hold back as much as the first time, so that was super.  So that takes me to the point in my mind. that all this was real, because if all of that was a dream, I--_ Ellie is taken out of her thoughts when she sees Joel enter the room.  

“Good day, kiddo, how are you feeling?  Did you sleep well?” asks Joel as soon as he enters the room and sees Ellie laying in the bed with her hands covering her face.

“Joel!... I-- I feel okay… thanks,” says Ellie while looking at Joel.  

“Well, I'm glad for that, and that you're finally awake.  I thought that you were going to sleep all day,” says Joel as he gets closer to the bed, where Ellie is.

“All day?  What do you mean?  What time is it?” asks Ellie, looking at Joel.

“Well, it's a little past noon, so you've been sleeping all morning,” says Joel, smiling.

“What?  Are you sure?   I never sleep that much,” says Ellie, covering all of herself from head to toe with the bed sheet.

“Well, maybe one of the reasons for that is because you woke up at 4:00 in the morning, and wanted to… have… sex again,” answers Joel while sitting on the edge of the bed and trying to take the sheet off of Ellie.

“What?... I don't remember it happening like that.  I thought that all of that was a dream or something,” says Ellie, taking the sheet off her head and looking at Joel, all red.

“Well, if I remember correctly, you woke up and got on top of me and said that you rested enough, and that you wanted to do it again.  And I can tell you that all that was real.  I can't believe that you think what happened was a dream,” says Joel, smiling and taking part of the sheet off of her.

“Well, after all that happened between you and me, I wasn’t so sure if all that was a dream or not.” _Shit, now he’s going to think that I was so desperate to do that... well, I totally was, but he doesn't need to know that._  Ellie tries to hide her giggle when she thinks of that, but continues with the conversation.  “You know, I’ve had some dreams about you and me before -- well, not for the past 2 years, but they felt so real, back then.  And from what’s been happening between us for the past few weeks, all of this seems like a dream come true.”  

“Well, I can assure you that all of it was real, Ellie, and if you look at yourself, you’re going to find some proof of that,” says Joel with a grin on his face.

“What do you mean by that?” asks Ellie now with some curiosity, because she really doesn't know what Joel is talking about.

“As you`re new to this, I’m not going to spoil the surprise, but you’re going to find out soon enough.”  

“Shit!  Joel, are you serious?  You’re going to leave me like that and not tell--” Ellie stops when she realizes what Joel is talking about.  She quickly moves one hand to her neck and starts to remember how Joel sucked that area last night.  She knows that by now she should have a hickey there.

 Joel is watching Ellie’s reaction when he sees Ellie touching her neck.  “Sorry about that,” says Joel quickly, thinking that in some ways, he got too rough on her.

After Ellie thinks of that evening, she looks at Joel with some satisfaction in her mind.  Joel is totally good with her, and she enjoys every part of that. “You don't need to be sorry for anything.  I enjoyed everything you did to me last night. And since all of that was real, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, kiddo, you can ask me anything you want,” answers Joel, looking her in the eye and trying to see if there’s any regret for Ellie after they had sex.  He just wants to be sure that she is okay.

“Did I do it right?  I mean... this was my first… and second time.  Since I’ve never done this before, I just need to know… you know… if I did it right.  I know that you did all the work, but I just…” says Ellie, a little embarrassed now.

“Ellie, what are you talking about?  You don't need to think about if you did it right or wrong,” says Joel as he gets closer to Ellie on the bed and puts one hand on her shoulder.  I don't know how to talk about this, since this is your first time.  But I can tell you that having sex is part of nature, and when you do it when you are in love, there is no right or wrong.  So if you feel okay, and you enjoy it, you don't need to ask yourself if you did a good job on that.  I hope that you had a good experience, because I want to give you something special to remember.”  

“Joel, I'm very sure that I’m going to remember this… forever.”   

“I`m happy to hear that, so I can presume that you enjoyed it!” says Joel with some curiosity.

“Are you fucking kidding me?  Joel, this was the best thing someone could give to me.  Not even in my best dreams have I had something like this.  Well, I can tell you that at first, it was a little painful, but Maria and Jenna warned me about that.  So it was something I was expecting... well, I didn't expect that you’d have a huge… you know… But I loved everything: the dinner, the dress, the date thing was cool, and the dance.  Fuck!  Joel, that was great.  Well, not that I know how to dance, so you need to teach me how to dance too now,” says Ellie with a little bit of a smile on her face.

“Ha ha -- shit, girl, you are something, and my… ain’t that big-- okay, I don't want to talk about that. The point is that I'm glad that you had a good time, I`m happy for you., and don't get me wrong -- I had a good time too.  As long as you’re happy, I`m happy too, so I think that we're going to be okay.”

“Thanks, Joel, sooooo… What are we going to do today?  Are we going to do something-- fun?”

“I don't know what you mean by fun, but I need to go down there and prepare something to eat. So if you need to talk to me about something, I’ll be in the kitchen.  So why don’t you get out  of bed, take a bath, and get down there to eat, okay?” Joel says to her and gives her a little kiss on the lips.  Then he gets off the bed and when he starts to walk away, Ellie grabs one of his arms.

“I still feel a little tired, Joel, so why don’t you just take your clothes off and go back to bed.  I’ll enjoy your company for the rest of the day in bed,” says Ellie while she unwraps herself from the bed sheet.

Joel tries not to look at her much, because she’s only wearing one of his shirts and nothing more.  So Joel changes his view as soon as Ellie starts to try to do a sexy pose in the bed, calling him over by crooking her finger.

“Ellie, we can`t stay all day in bed... well, maybe you can, but I have things I need to do, and as much as I love to spend time with you, I can’t just stay all day in bed and--”

“Joel, do you really need to do something that important?  C`mon, just stay here with me... please!” asks Ellie, pulling Joel to the bed again.

After Ellie pulls Joel back and makes him sit on the bed again, she gets on her knees on the bed and moves close to Joel`s back.  She puts her hand on Joel’s shoulders and starts to rub them.

“Wow, Joel, your shoulders feel so tense.  What you really need is a good massage, so why don’t you stay here and relax while I give you one,” says Ellie in a sexy voice while she continues to massage Joel’s shoulders.

“Ha, ha, and you really know how to do-- ohhhh shit… Ellie, that feels so good,” says Joel while he closes his eyes and lays his head back a little.  Ellie continues working on his shoulders while Joel starts to feel all his tense muscles relaxing.   

“See, Joel!  The only thing you need to do is stay here and I will take care of you.  So no more work for you today, okay?” Ellie stops with his shoulders and starts to work on his back.

“Ellie… I really need to check… Ahhhh that feels so-- yes... right there...” Joel is almost moaning in pleasure while he feels Ellie’s hands working on his back.

“Wow, Joel, you are really tense.  Okay, I need to do this right -- let's take off your shirt.”  Then Ellie starts to take off Joel’s shirt, but Joel grabs her hand and stops her.

“Ellie, I don't think that we need to do this right now, even though that feels so good, I need to check the generator in the basement and--”

“Joel, it’s okay, you can do that later.  You’re so stressed out, and that’s not good for your health.  You took care of me last night, so now I will take care of you,” says Ellie, finally taking off Joel’s shirt.  

“And you think what you're going to do is going to help me to relax?” asks Joel with a smile.

“Joel, don't worry, I know what I'm doing, so you need to trust me, okay!” Then Ellie starts to work on his back again. “Joel, it’s okay, I’ve read a lot of books about all this, back in Jackson.  I’ve wanted to do this for you, but I never got the chance because you were gone, so please let me do this.”  

“Shit, Ellie, that was a low blow, you know.”

“I know, sorry, but if it works, like they say... the end justifies the mean, or something like that,”  says Ellie, smiling.

Ellie starts to work on Joel’s bare back now, moving her hands slowly so she can feel Joel’s muscles.  She’s already seen Joel shirtless before, but she likes to see all those muscles and feel how strong Joel is, even for his age.  Joel may be an old man, for a lot of people, but for Ellie, he is just perfect.  He is her hero, her protector, her partner, but deep inside, she’s always known that he’s something more.   All the times that they were in danger out there, he always took care of her, and kept her alive.  He always tried to do everything for her; she knows that all his decisions were not always good ones.  But she knows that he’s always going to give everything for her, and some of the scars he has are proof of that.    

Ellie starts to kiss Joel’s neck while she massages his back, then she moves one hand and slowly passes that one through Joel’s hair.  “You need a haircut,” she says in Joel’s ear with a sexy voice.  Joel tries to stay put, but Ellie is making that almost impossible, and his body is starting to react.

“Ellie, what are you doing?  I thought that you said that you're only going to give me a massage,” asks Joel, trying not to sound too excited.

“Joel, relax, you're going to feel much better after this.  Just lay on the bed and let me do the rest.”

With that, Ellie helps Joel to lay on the bed, then she moves on top of him.  She has nothing on under Joel`s shirt that she’s wearing.  She looks at Joel, who now has nothing on except his shorts.  Ellie starts to move her hands and starts massaging Joel’s hairy chest.  Joel starts to feel his body’s reaction when he feels Ellie’s movements on top of him.  Somehow, he’s had some dreams about this, but at that time, he felt guilty for having those.  He loves Ellie, even though he knows that she’s too young for him.  He love her.  He always has.  He chose to go 2 years ago because of that.  But now, it’s a different story; he hurt Ellie and almost destroyed the relationship they have.  But after last night, he knows that everything is going to change.  What he has with Ellie now is something so special that he’s going to do everything to keep that as long as he can.    

Ellie bends down and starts to kiss Joel’s chest, and slowly continues the kisses until she gets to his mouth.  Joel responds quickly by kissing her back.  His tongue enters her mouth, and he starts kissing her like he’s so hungry for her.  In that moment, the only thing they can feel is their passionate love for each other.  Their bodies are moving together like they are one, responding to their desires just like both of them belong together forever.  In that moment, Joel knows that there’s no way back.  What Ellie’s making him feel is something that he never thought he was going to have again -- or really, never had.  Not even his wife or Tess made him feel like this.  Ellie is something special.  Ellie not only gives him her love, but also companionship… she forgave him after all the things he did.  Right now, there’s no age difference, just the love that they feel for each other, like destiny just wants them to be together for a reason.  Like two lost souls found each other in the dark, and in that moment, Joel understands that he loves this girl more than anything.  And he’s never going to be apart from her again.

“Ohhhh!, Joel, this feels so good,” says Ellie when she stops kissing Joel’s mouth, moving her head to his neck.  She starts to rub her body against Joel’s, and moves back and forth as she feels the friction on her pussy.  Ellie starts to moan Joel`s name while she feels an electricity running through her whole body.

Joel quickly grabs her butt, and helps her to move faster.  Joel starts to feel like he’s going to come soon if he doesn't stop, so he moves his mouth close to Ellie’s ear, and starts to suck it.  After a few moments of hearing Ellie moan, he talks to her slowly. “Maybe it’s better if we take our clothes off, don't you think?” asks Joel with a lower voice in Ellie’s ear.

Ellie giggles at the sensation.  “I think you’re right,” answers Ellie while she moves away from him.  Then Ellie moves herself down, passing his leg slowly, in a sexy way.  When she gets to the end of the bed, she slowly grabs the band of Joel`s shorts and starts to remove them slowly.

“Ummm!  Ellie, I dunno where you got all this from, but it’s starting to feel so good.”

Ellie continues pulling his pants down until his cock is free; she is now watching Joel’s full erection.  Ellie is a little surprised, but she is so happy that she can make Joel like this so fast. Yes, she saw his dick last night, but as it was a little dark, she didn't have a clear view of his entire cock.  But now in the daylight, she has a better look at it. “Damn, Joel, it looks bigger than last night,” says Ellie while she continues looking at it.

After a few moments of Ellie looking at his dick, Joel speaks.  “Ellie!... Ellie!” Joel starts to call her name.

“Ohhh, right, sorry Joel.”  Then she finishes pulling Joel`s shorts off and starts to look at his dick again.  “Joel… can I touch it?  Is that... last night, I didn't… I mean, it was all so fast, and we didn't ha--”

“Ellie, it’s okay.  Whatever you want to do is okay.  I know that you’re still curious about this, so if you have any questions or something, let me know ”

“Thanks, Joel.” Ellie moves a little bit forward and slowly grasps Joel’s dick.  She starts to look at it, moving it from side to side, like she is examining it.  After a few moments, she starts to move her hand up and down, starting to masturbating him. Joel closes his eyes and tries to stop the sensation that he’s starting to feel again.  He doesn't want to come yet, so he opens his eyes and looks at Ellie.  He quickly moves his hands and grabs Ellie`s to make her stop when he notices that she’s looking at his dick like she’s going to do something else.

“I think that we can leave that for another moment... you don't want me to come so fast yet,” says Joel, trying to get the idea of Ellie sucking his cock out of his mind.  Even though he’s had some fantasies about that, he thinks that Ellie is not ready for that yet.

“Okay,” says Ellie as she lets go of his dick with a little disappointment on her face, but she knows that she can explore that later.  She can`t stop feeling that having Joel back is the best thing that’s happened to her.  So she moves again and sits on Joel’s abdomen.

“Okay, Joel, are ready for this?” says Ellie while she puts her hand on the first button of her shirt (Joel`s shirt, of course), then slowly starts to unbutton them one by one.

“Shit!  Ellie, why are you doing this to me?” says Joel, feeling the pleasure.  

“What!... you don't like it?”

“Ellie, I didn't know that you could be so sexy, and yes, I like it.”   

“Really!  You think I'm sexy?  Well, I'm glad that you like this, Joel -- I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.  And also, I’ve read a lot of books and seen a few movies,” says Ellie while she giggles.  

“Movies?... shit, Ellie, when did you see those?” says Joel with a surprised face.

“Oh... Joel, did you really think that I was so innocent about sex when I was back in Boston?  I told you that I had a friend back there, and we got in a lot of trouble back then.  So are you ready for this?”  

“Ellie, you don't need to do any of this just to please me, and--” Joel is silenced by Ellie’s finger pressing on his lips.

“Joel, it’s only fair -- you took care of me last night, so let me take care you this time, okay?” says Ellie as she slowly starts to unbutton the shirt.

Joel puts his hands on Ellie’s legs while he watches her.  Ellie continues slowly and moves her body, trying to be sexier to make Joel feel good.  She wants Joel to see her more like an adult and not like a kid anymore.  As she finishes with the buttons, she slowly starts to take off the shirt and then tosses it aside.  When she finishes with that, she grabs her hair and pulls it up, and starts to move in a sexy way.

“Do you like this, Joel?” asks Ellie while continuing to move on top of Joel.

“Yeah… this feels great, Ellie,” says Joel while he starts to squeeze her legs harder.

Then Joel starts to look at her entire body, from her head all the way down… until he stops at her pussy.  He can feel her little pubic hair rubbing against his; that sensation is the final thing he needs to realize all the love and desire he has for this girl.  He quickly moves his hands up, grabs Ellie's breasts, and starts squeezing them, slowly and gently.  A few moments later, he moves his mouth to one of them and starts to lick and suck her nipple.  Elle is a little surprised when Joel starts to suck her nipple, but she starts to feel good as Joel continues with his work, and man, she is starting to love this very much.      

“Ohhhhh… yessss!  Joel, that feels so good, aahhhh… don't stop… please!” Ellie starts to moan as she quickly moves her hands behind Joel’s head and starts to play with his hair.  As she does that, Ellie pulls him closer so he can suck her nipple harder.  After a few minutes of that, Joel moves his mouth away from her breast, goes to Ellie's neck, and starts to suck again.  Joel knows now that Ellie is going to have some marks from that the next day.  But he doesn't worry about that because they are in a cabin alone, and nobody is going to see them.  Joel feels like this has been going forever, and his cock is like already begging him to start entering her already.

“Ahhhhhh… Joel, I want you!... ohhhh... fuck!... I can't wait for this anymore, I need you inside of me… please!”  As Joel doesn't need any further encouragement from her, he is pleased to obey her command.  So he quickly moves his hand and grabs Ellie`s, lifts her up a little, and puts her entrance at the top of his hard cock.

Joel can feel now that she’s ready for him because she’s already wet in her entrance.  “Ellie, I’m going to be a little slow, in case this still hurts you a little bit, okay?” says Joel while he starts to pull Ellie down, and his dick starts to enter her.

A really hard moan escapes Ellie’s mouth as soon as she starts to feel Joel`s hard cock penetrate her.  The sensation of feeling Joel so close and intimate now makes her feel so good.  After a few moments, Joel is completely inside of her.  Ellie quickly puts her arms around his neck for support and starts kissing him.  Joel now loves the feeling of having Ellie so close, and by now, all his fears about the age thing are forgotten.  He grabs her butt hard and starts to move her up and down as he continues his thrusting slowly into her.  Ellie starts to moan again in Joel’s mouth as she enjoys the sensation that having sex with Joel makes her feel.

“Oooohhhh!... Joel, this… is definitely… better than the first time.  Aaaahhhhhh!” says Ellie as soon as she breaks the kiss and puts her head on his shoulder.

Joel continues with his thrusts, making sure that Ellie is okay, and after a few minutes, he can feel Ellie’s hard breathing on him.  Then he starts to move faster, as her climax is close now... she is moaning and calling Joel`s name as Joel continues moving faster now.  He knows that Ellie is close now and that he’s close too, so he needs to end this soon  

“Oohh, Joel, I’m so close to coming, I need you to go... deeper, aahhh… please!” Ellie moans as she says that in Joel`s ear.

Joel quickly complies, but stops his thrusting and hugs Ellie as he rolls her to the side of the bed, until Ellie is laying down there on her back.  Ellie was going to protest about why Joel stopped when she’s so close, but stops when she sees Joel getting on top of her.

“Okay, Ellie, I think it’s time to finish this -- are you ready?” asks Joel while he prepares himself for the last part.

“Just finish it… Joel, I can't take this for much longer,” says Ellie, looking him in the eyes.

Joel starts to thrust into her faster and deeper.  Ellie starts to gasp hard, moaning, “ohhh… Joel, I'm close now… fuuuuck!”  A few minutes after that, Ellie starts to scream Joel`s name.  “Ohhh!... Joel... I--I’m cuming!... Aaaahhhhh!” Her scream can be heard outside the cabin; thank God that they are the only people up there.  Joel follows her soon after that; he moves quickly and pulls himself out of her.  Again, he cums on Ellie’s stomach.  He tells Ellie that he is sorry for the last part, and that this time, he’s going to clean that up.  She tells him that it’s okay, and that he doesn't need to worry about that.  She can see that Joel doesn't want to get her pregnant, but she hopes that that feeling is temporary.

After Joel cleans her up with a cloth that they’d put on the side table, he moves to the side of the bed and lays close to her.      

Ellie puts her head on Joel’s chest and closes her eyes.  “Wow, Joel that was-- great!... thanks,” says Ellie while she hugs him.  

“I'm the one that should be thanking you… not only for this, but for all the things you’ve done for me,” says Joel while he puts one arm around her and pulls her closer to him.

“I think that we need a bath after all this,” says Ellie, smiling.

“Yeah, I think we do, but right now I'm too tired for that, so why don’t we just stay here for a little longer,” says Joel, trying to slow his breathing.

“I'm with you on that -- I barely feel my legs!”  Then Ellie starts to pass her hand slowly over Joel’s chest, playing with his chest hair.  After a few minutes of silence, Ellie speaks again.  “Joel, if all of this is a dream, please don't wake me up, ever.”

“Ha,ha,ha… Ellie, I can assure you that all of this is real, and I am the luckiest man in this world, to have the pleasure of having a woman like you,” says Joel while he gives her a little kiss on her forehead.

“Well, I think that I’m lucky too, to have a man like you... I love you, Joel, so much.”

“I love you too, Ellie, and you don't know how much.  But for now, let's just rest for a while, okay?  I don't think that I have the strength to get out of this bed,” says Joel, closing his eyes.

“How can something so good be so tiring?” says Ellie, smiling.

“I don't know, but at least I can say that it’s worth it,” says Joel, stroking her hair now.

After a few moments, Joel and Ellie just stay in bed snuggling together, until both of them fall asleep, and rest at least for a few hours.  Joel knows that the winter is almost over and that they  need to leave soon.  But for now, it’s good to have Ellie back in his arms again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	20. Someone called ... Bill  Part-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie is talking to Joel, when he is doing some work on the cabin and Joel asked how she manage to find him there. So Ellie start to tell him the tale of how she get to Bill to tell her how to find him... well this is how.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi I know that some of you want to know how long they are going to be there in the cabin, because this is getting to long. I not want to give to much of a spoiler, but not worry they not going to stay there for ever. As for when they going to go back to Jackson you need to read the hole story for that, but I can tell you that is going to take time. The story is just at the middle, as is going to be now like 38 chapter or maybe 40, but some action is coming soon so thanks for you patience, and for reading the story and comment.

**Chapter 19 :  Someone called ... Bill  Part-1**

  


***Next day***

  
  


After Joel and Ellie get a few hours of rest (Joel more than Ellie), they get out of bed and go to take a bath.  After that, they go to the kitchen and have something to eat.  It’s already night when they finish, so Joel and Ellie decide to go back to bed.  Joel thanks God that Ellie is still a little tired from having sex three times almost consecutively.  They just want to go to bed and snuggle with each other; Ellie puts on one of Joel’s shirts -- one of Joel’s favorites that she feels comfortable with.  Joel uses his normal sleeping clothes: shorts and a t-shirt.  As soon as they touch the bed again, they fall asleep fast.

Joel wakes up first thing in the morning, as soon as the sunlight starts to show.  He looks at Ellie and sees how peaceful she looks when she’s sleeping, and that makes him feel happy.  He’s seen how much Ellie’s been suffering for so long, so seeing her so happy for the past few days feels nice.  He starts to pass one hand across her cheek, slowly, trying to admire her beauty and peaceful form.  He does it for a moment, until he feels Ellie move a little, and hears her mumble something in her sleep.  He moves his hand away, trying not to wake her up, so he just gives her a light kiss on her cheek and gets out of bed.

 

(A few hours later)

Joel is in the basement, working on the generator that provides the electricity to the cabin.  The thing was starting to give them some problems a week ago, but Joel got it fixed at that time.  But now the thing is starting up with the problem again.  He's been working all morning, trying to fix the problem, but even though the owner of the cabin left the instructions on how all the things work in the cabin, sometimes it’s so difficult for Joel fix it.   

Ellie wakes up some time later and, like some other times, she doesn't see Joel in the bed.  So she gets out of bed and changes.  A few minutes later, she goes down to the kitchen and starts to prepare something to eat.  After a few minutes, she hears Joel cursing from down in the basement, so she leaves what she’s doing and goes down there.

“C`mon, you piece of shit, I already fixed you, so why don't you work like you’re supposed to,” says Joel while he hits the generator with a piece of metal.  

Ellie gets to the bottom of the stairs and sees Joel hitting and kicking something.  She has to hold back her laughter a little as she watches the scene, but starts to feel some pity for Joel after a few moments.  Then she moves close to him, puts her hands around his waist, and kisses him on the neck.

“I didn't know that you like to kill machines too!” says Ellie while she puts her head beside Joel`s.

“Haha, very funny.  Sorry if I woke you up!” says Joel while he puts the piece of metal on a table nearby.

“Nahh… I was awake before you started to hit that thing, I guess.  So what’s the problem now?  I thought that you fixed that yesterday?”

“Yeah, I did, but as you can see, it’s not working again today.”

“And you think that hitting it with that piece of metal is going to make her work better?” asks Ellie, smiling.

“No, but it makes me feel better, and if I don't fix it, we’re going to have some problems with the electricity, again.”

“Well, it’s too bad that you’re not good at fixing things, like Bill.  Oh… man, that old fatty was an ass, but he can fix anything.”  

“Yeah, he’s good at that... hey… that reminds me.  What in the hell did you do to make him tell you how to find me?”

“Ha,ha,ha… well, that’s a long story, do you really want to hear that?” asks Ellie, moving away from Joel and sitting in a chair close by.

“Well, it’s going to take me some time to fix this, so maybe I can use the distraction to entertain me,” says Joel, moving to a table close to him and starting to look for some tool.

“Okay, I'm not good at telling tales, but if you want to hear it, then it’s okay by me, Urrrrmm,” Ellie makes a sound, trying to clear her throat.  “Okay… Once upon a time...”

“Ellie!... really?  You think that’s funny,” says Joel while he looks at her.

“Okay, fine… I was just kidding, Jesus!... I will start from the week after I left Dylan and Alice, okay?  Now, after I left them in that old restaurant, I got to the next outpost that was on the map.  As it was starting to snow at that time, since it was the first days of December, and it was getting cold as hell--”

“Ellie, you do know that hell is supposed to be hot, right?”

“Fuck!  Joel, are you going to let me tell the story or not?” says Ellie, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Sorry, go on, kiddo.”

“Thanks, now where was I?... Oh yeah, I arrived at the new outpost and-- ”

  
  


**“Flashback, three months earlier***  

  
  
  


It’s December now; the cold is starting to get worse.  The road is starting to get too much snow on it, and it’s difficult to travel.  A week has passed since Ellie left Dylan and Alice in that restaurant, in the old stop station.  She followed the route on the map for an entire week to get to the next outpost.  She has to wear more clothes now, because of the cold, as she passes through more of the northern states.  She is lucky that she didn’t get in any trouble with infected or hunters during that week.  She doesn't want to admit it, but it was easier with Dylan at her side.  She thinks that this part of the country doesn't have much to offer now, but after a week, she finally arrives at the place she’s looking for.

“Okay Lucky, stay here while I go and check to see if we’re not going to get in any trouble in here,” says Ellie to her horse as she takes the binoculars out and moves away.

“Great, this is perfect, now I'm talking to a horse. The only thing that I need right now is to start  hearing Joel`s voice again,” says Ellie, talking to herself.

As Ellie walks away from her horse, she finds a place to look from, so she hides behind some bushes and gets on her knees.  She’s a little far from the outpost, so she takes the binoculars and starts to check how things are going in there.  She’s alone now, so no back up for her if something goes wrong.  So she needs to be sure that the place is safe for her to go alone. Of course, no place is completely safe in this world now, but if Tommy marked this place on the map to be safe enough to trade, then maybe Ellie can take that as a good sign.

Ellie starts to check the place with her binoculars.   _Okay, I can see this place is bigger than the last one. They have a tall wall surrounding the whole complex, so I can't see inside... I have to be careful about that.  I don't want any surprises as soon as I get in.  So far, I see a few guards, and they have some watchtowers in the front.  Okay, you’d better be in there, fat man, because this is the last chance I have to find Joel.  I don't know where to go from here, if this results in nothing._

After a few minutes, Ellie stands up from her position and goes back to where she left her horse. She puts the binoculars back in the sack on the horse, and mounts up.   _Okay, boy, let's go -- we need to be ready to get out of there if I get in any trouble._ Ellie rides the horse for 10 minutes until she arrives close to the main gate.    

“Hold it right there,” orders a man from one of the towers, pointing a rifle at Ellie.

“What’s your business here, girl?” asks another man, standing next to the one with the rifle.  

Ellie takes a look at both of them; the one with the rifle is young, like 25.  He looks a little scared too, so she needs to keep her eye on him; those types are easy with the trigger.  The other one is older, like 45 or 50, just like Joel age’s, maybe, but doesn’t look anything like Joel.

“I'm here on business… umm, to trade,” answers Ellie, moving one arm away from the reins of the horse and putting it close to the gun hidden in the back of her shirt.

“Don't move!” orders the young man again while he points the gun more directly at Ellie, as if ready to shoot.

“Hey… take it easy, man -- this is not the way to treat a potential client,” says Ellie, moving her hand up a little so the man can see that she isn’t a threat to them.

“We're the ones who decide that, so it’s better for you, kid, if you don't make any strange moves.  Because we have orders to shoot anyone if they represent a threat to the town.”

“Okay, no problem, can I speak with the boss... you know… the person that’s in charge here?” Ellie asks the two men in the tower.

“We're the ones who ask the question here, kid, so shut up and don't move,” says the older man.

“I'm not a kid, so stop calling me that, okay?” says Ellie, with a mad expression.

“I don't give a fuck if you’re a kid or not.  For all I know, all of this could be a trick or something.  Maybe you’re just a distraction so your buddies can sneak around and ambush us.  So you stay where you are and don't try anything,” says the older man as he moves close to the other guard and takes a walkie talkie off of his belt.  

“Jesus Christ, you people are really paranoid.” _And dumb, too, as far as I can see... they don't do any patrol, and the security looks weak.  I can see now that Jackson is better than this._

“Okay, Peter, keep pointing at her while I call in, and if she moves, shoot her,” orders the old man as he starts to talk with someone on the radio.  

“Look, I didn't come here looking for trouble.  I just need a place to sleep for a couple of days and do some trading, and then I’ll be gone.”

“Yeah, and you want us to believe that a little kid like you is just wandering all alone in this forest, right?  We’re not going to fall for that, kid, so if you have some partners waiting to attack us, you're the first one that’s going down.”

“I don't have any partners, okay, how many times do I have to tell you that?  Look, it’s getting late, and it’s cold out here.  Look, I was told that this was a trade town, and I have some things that I can use to pay for the things I need, and for the room.  I’m not going to stay here for long, so-- ” Ellie is interrupted by the old man.

“Just shut up -- the boss is coming to check on you,” says the old man, giving the walkie talkie back to the young man. 

After a few minutes, the gate is opening, and a few men step out of the complex with guns in hand.  A robust man gets close to Ellie as he indicates for a few of his men to check the perimeter.

“Hello there, my name is Gregory, and I'm the sheriff of this town,” says the man, smiling and extending a hand to Ellie.  

“Sheriff?  That means like you're in charge of security or something, right?” asks Ellie, lowering her hand but not giving one to the man.

“Yeah, that’s right.  Sorry for the inconvenience, but we’ve been having some trouble recently, and we need to be more cautious now,” says the man, lowering his hand when Ellie doesn’t respond to the gesture.   

“Well, I can get that, but I’ve been told that this town is a respected one for trade, so I'm here only for business.  I don’t want any trouble,” says Ellie, looking the guy in the eye.

“So you’re here for business, ummm, don't you think that you’re too young to be here alone?”  says Gregory as he looks at her.

“Don't be foolish -- maybe I look young, but I'm 21” (she lied) “and a good shooter, too.  I don't think that it’s good for business if you treat your visitors like this.”

“Well, we don't have any problem with new visitors, but we need to check everyone out,” says the man as he looks to the side and sees one of his men walking toward him.

Then the man walks close to Gregory and speaks to him in his ear.  They talk for a few moments while Ellie continues watching them, getting ready for anything.  Ellie tries to see if she had any chance to escape if the situation got to that.  The men don't look like much in her eyes, but the numbers are not good, and almost all of them are pointing at her with their guns.  The two men finish their talking, then the bulky man sends the other away and returns his attention to Ellie.  

“Okay, if you want to go in, I need to know what your business is here?” asks the man as he looks at Ellie with some curiosity.

“Okay, that’s fair enough,” says Ellie while she prepares herself for anything.  “I just need a place to stay for a few days, and some things that I need repaired.”

“That’s great, if you have something to pay for that,” says Gregory.

“I have a few things that I can use for payment.  Look, it’s getting late and cold, so do you think that we can talk about business inside, or not?”

“And what if we just take everything you have and send you away with nothing?” says another man behind Gregory.   

“Well, you can do that if you want, but I’m not going to make it easy for you, and besides that, you’re going to lose any good reputation you have on this place.  Do you think that people are going to come here when they find out that you like to rob them or kill them as soon as they get here?”     

“Nobody needs to know that, especially if you’re-- ohhh,” another man starts to say, and stops when Gregory hits him in the head.

“Nobody is going to do any of that, you idiots.  This is a respectable place, and we’re not bandits or hunters.  Okay, girl, it’s better if we finish this inside.  I’ll call for someone to escort you to the barn, where you can leave your horse.  Then he’s going to take you to the person in charge of this place,” says Gregory as he indicates for some of his men to move inside.

Ellie gets down off the horse, quickly grabs the horse’s reins, and moves close to Gregory. The man calls for one of his group and tells him that he needs to escort the girl to the barn, where they keep all the horses from the people that come to the town.  A young man approaches Ellie and tells her to follow him.  As soon as they enter the complex with some of the men, Gregory starts to speak with the others that stayed behind.      

“Okay, guys, I find this much too suspicious.  I don't care how old that girl is.  But no one so young is going to travel alone, in this forest.”

“So what do you think, boss?” says one of the men.

“I want you and Tony to go and inspect the area to see if she came with someone -- we need to know.  This whole thing could be a trap, so we need to keep our eyes open,” says Gregory.

“But Sheriff, it’s going to be dark soon, and it’s cold out here,” says Tony.

“Yeah, we’re going to freeze to death if we go out now,” says another one.

“Then put on some extra clothes and move!  If this girl came with some friends, I need to know.”

“Yes, boss, what do you want us to do if we find something?” asks Tony.

“If you find something, just come back and find me, okay?  Don't try to do something stupid,” says Gregory as he walks away from them.  

Ellie and the young man walk on the street inside the town, toward the barn.  Ellie is checking the place out to see what they have to offer.  She can see that the protective walls are very solid; it looks almost like the new ones Tommy was building in Jackson.  The town is smaller than Jackson, but bigger than the last one she’d found with Dylan.

All the houses close to the entrance have been converted to stores; she can see a lot of people there, doing some business.  There are a lot of different stores... some selling food, other services of all kinds, some others trading furniture, and other things.  Ellie is getting a little excited about all of that; she’s never seen so many vendors in one place.  The boy and Ellie walk through the streets, but before they arrive at the barn, the boy speaks.  

“Hey, do you like this place?” asks the boy.

“Well, I can tell you that I’ve never been in a place like this before, so many stores in one place… wow.”

“Yeah, I think that this town is one of the last trade places left in this country... well, I think that maybe there are others on the west coast, but I think that this is the biggest one.  Oh, by the way, my name is Al,” he says, extending one hand to Ellie.  

“Oh… yeah, my name is… is Leia... nice to meet you,” says Ellie, shaking his hand.  

“Nice to meet you too, Leia... okay, the barn is over there.  Oh, you have a nice horse... I’ve never seen one as good as yours... does he have a name?”

“Yeah, his name is Lucky.  Do you have horses in here?” Ellie observes the young boy more closely now.  He looks like he is 18 or 19 years old.  Ellie notices that the boy is nice, and polite -- those qualities are sometimes really rare, out there.

“No, not permanently as this is a trade town... we don't go out much.  And we harvest our own food here.  So the rest comes from trade.  We don't get many people now, but this is a popular route for travelers.”   

“Well, I think that the people here are doing good, then,” says Ellie while she continues looking at her surroundings.

“Yeah, we’re good... there’s been some attacks from hunters in the past months.  But the sheriff and his men have been taking care of that.  Okay, we’re here,” says the boy, stopping in front of the barn.

“This looks nice, but how do I know that no one here is going to steal my horse or my things?” asks Ellie.

“Don't worry, we have laws in here.  When you pay James, he not only takes care of your horse, he can also watch your things.  And if something is stolen from a customer, Mr. Grand takes care of that quick,” says the boy while he helps Ellie get her horse inside. “Hey, James!  We have a new customer here, hello!... HELLO!”

“Hey, I can hear you, boy, don't need to yell, Jesus,” answers an old man coming down from the second floor.  

“James, this is ummm… Leia, right?” says Al while he turns his head and looks at Ellie.  When he sees her nod, he turns again and looks at the old man.

Ellie thinks he looks like he’s in his sixties, but he looks strong, just like Bob.  The only difference is that he isn’t an Indian.

“Well, hello, young lady,” ( Ellie giggles at that) “it’s always a pleasure to meet new customers. So where is your father, or whoever is traveling with you?” says the old man while he looks at her.

“I came here alone, but the people I`m with sent me to get some things, and get some things repaired.  So, I was informed that you have a good mechanic or technician in here.  Is that true?” says Ellie, looking at the old man.

“Yeah, we have one.  He arrived here like a year ago.  And he’s been repairing things here since then -- he even has his own workshop now.  Mr. Grand is very pleased, because it’s good for business, having a man like that in here.  Even though he’s not too social, and likes to be alone all the time... that’s really strange, but people like his work,” explains the old man while he takes care of Ellie’s horse.

“That sounds great -- what’s his name?” asks Ellie.

“Umm… Bill, yeah, I think that’s his name... Bill.  He doesn't talk much to people, and almost all the time he works alone.  He uses a few guys when he needs to repair big things, or is too busy,” says the boy, standing close to Ellie now.    

“Well, if he’s so great, I think that he can help me -- so Al, can you take me to his workshop?” asks Ellie.

“I can take you there, but the sheriff told me to take you to the inn first.  Mr. Grand likes to meet every visitor that comes to town.  So that way, everyone knows the rules and doesn't cause any trouble in here,” answers the boy.

“Well, I’d like to make sure that he can repair the thing I brought along, and--” Ellie is interrupted by the old man.

“Oh, I think that you’re going to wait anyway, because I saw him leaving town with a few men yesterday.  They were going to get something from a few buildings north of here, so it’s more like they’re not going to come back until tomorrow, maybe,” says the old man.  

_Shit!... “_ Okay, then take me to the inn -- maybe I can rest in there until he comes back.” 

After Ellie pays James with a few things she brought from the restaurant and one of the guns she confiscated from those fuckers that tried to kill them there, Al and Ellie walk toward the inn to meet the man in charge of the place.  When they arrive, Al shows her where the main office is, and leaves, telling her that if she needs more help, she can find him in the barn.  Then Ellie proceeds to knock on the door and ask for Mr. Grand.  

“C`mon in, the door is open,” says the man inside the room.

Then Ellie proceeds to open the door and step inside.  As soon as she does, Ellie can see a man standing by the window, looking outside.

“Well, welcome to Owasco County, young lady -- my name is Osval Grand, but everybody calls me Mr. Grand.  So what brings a young girl like you to this town?” asks the man, looking at Ellie now.

“I came here to do some business and rest for a few days, maybe,” answers Ellie while the man sits in a chair at his desk.

“Oh, I see, so how old are you?” asks the man, looking at Ellie with some interest.

“I'm 21, and I don't know why my age is so important in here,” says Ellie, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“You don't look like it, and it’s my business to know everything that happens in here.  I don't need any surprises that a girl like you could bring here,” says the man while he puts his hand on his desk, looking Ellie in the eye.

“Well, I didn't come here looking for trouble.  I just came here looking for a mechanic or a technician.”

“Oh, so you came here looking for Bill?” asks the man with a smirk on his face.  “That’s very interesting...”

**To Be Continued….**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: this chapter and the next part, was suppose to be posted, before Ellie found Joel, just after she left the restaurant part. But as I not want to people , keep waiting for the two get together, I decided to do this part as a flashback.


	21. Someone called ... Bill  Part-2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Ellie found Bill, she need to do what she have too, to convincing him to help her, to find Joel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 20 :  Someone called ... Bill  Part-2**

  
  
  
  


“So you came here looking for Bill? Can I ask you why? And how you know him?” asks the man, standing up from his chair. 

“I never said that I know him, or that his name was Bill.  I just asked for a mechanic, and that James guy, from your barn, told me that you have one here,” answers Ellie, trying not to arouse suspicion. 

“Okay, so any particular reason why you need the services of a mechanic?” asks the man.

Ellie looks at the man, annoyed.  _  Shit, why is this man asking so many questions?  _ “Do you interrogate all the people who come here like this, or is it just me?  Because I just came here on business, and since I arrived, all of your people have been treating me like shit,” says Ellie, standing up from the chair she’s sitting in. 

“Look, girl, I'm in charge here, so I run the questions as I like it, okay?  I just want to make sure that you haven’t come here to make any trouble.  So it’s better for you if you just answer the questions, and everything is going to be fine,” says the man, moving close to her. 

Ellie looks at the man while she tries to think of something to say.  She doesn't want him to know that she knows Bill, or the real reason why she is in there.  Ellie doesn't know what Bill is going to do or say when she asks him for Joel.  Bill didn't like her very much the last time they saw each other, so she needs to play this right if she wants him to tell her where Joel is.

“Okay, fine, I will tell you what you need to know, so there won’t be any trouble.  I'm part of a small group that’s traveling to the east, but we got attacked by some infected.  Some of us managed to escape, but we lost all our horses, except the one I arrived with.  After that, we found some house to stay in for a few days, and found a truck at one of them that was in good condition.  But we need some parts fixed, so one of the men that was with us told our leader that he knows a place where we can find a good mechanic who can fix the parts.” 

“And they sent you here alone?  And do you expect me to believe that?” asks the man, looking at Ellie with a dubious expression.

“Well, that is the truth; if you want to believe it or not, that’s your problem, and they didn't send me here alone -- I was with the man that knows about this place.  But we were attacked two days ago,  and he didn`t make it,” answers Ellie. 

“Okay, I’m going to believe what you say… for now,” says the man, looking at her with suspicious eyes.

But at least that makes Ellie feel a little relief.  The man turns around and goes back to sitting in his chair. 

“But I think that you don't have much luck, because Bill and a few men left town for a few days to find some parts we need.”    

“Yeah, I know.  That boy… umm... Al, told me that already,” says Ellie to him.  

“Okay then, so if you have that information, you have two choices here:  leave, or wait for him to come back.  I don't recommend the first one because it’s already dark, and it’s going to be very cold out there, and dangerous.”

“Well, I think I’m going to wait then, so if you have a room that I can rent for a few days, that would be great,” says Ellie, standing in front of him. 

“Okay, that’s great, so I assume that you have a way to pay for all that, right?” asks the man.

“Yes I do, so you don't need to worry about that,” answers Ellie.

“Well, that’s great, girl -- I’ll call someone to take you to the room.  And while we wait for him, let me explain some of the rules we have here, and discuss the payment,” says the man, taking out a radio and making the call. 

After 15 minutes, Mr. Grand explains the rules of the town to Ellie, at least the ones she needs to know, since she’s just a visitor.  Then a young girl arrives and guides Ellie to her room.  The girl is 17 years old, and explains to Ellie how things work in the rooms.  She tells her that they have power and hot water, but that it’s limited, and costs extra.  The girl gives Ellie a list of the prices and what she can use to pay, as well as a handmade map of the town that indicates where the stores are. 

Ellie thanks the girl and gives her a kitchen knife as a tip.  Then she closes the door and puts her backpack on the supposed bed.  The room isn’t big, but she has her own bathroom; the mattress doesn't have any frame, but it’s clean, and has clean sheets.  There’s also a wooden chair and a small table in one of the corners.  The room isn’t much, but it’s going to keep her warm for a few days, and at least it doesn't smell bad, either, so she can get some rest.     

Ellie needs a shower, and to think about what she is going to tell Bill to convince him to tell her where Joel is.  Well, that’s if he knows at least where he could be; she knows that even if he owed Joel a favor before, that favor was repaid the last time they were in Lincoln, since Bill gave Joel the truck.  Ellie goes through her backpack and takes a cable out.  She puts the chair against the door and ties it up with the cable.  She is going to take a shower, so it’s better to be extra cautious; she doesn't know what kind of business they’re doing here, or if they have an extra key for the room.

After Ellie makes sure that the room is secure, she goes to the bathroom, taking her backpack with her, and closes that door there, too.  Ellie takes out the clean clothing she’s going to use along with her 9mm gun, and puts that on top of the toilet.  She’s going to be sure to have a gun close, if  someone decides to enter her room while she’s in the shower. After everything is ready, Ellie takes off her clothes and puts them in the sink to wash them out later. 

When Ellie opens the shower and starts to feel the warm water hitting her body, she gets reminded of Jackson, and what she’s been missing for all these months that she’s been looking for Joel.  She wishes that all of this were different, that she was back in Jackson with Joel, Tommy, and Maria.  She misses Jenna too, and Brad, Bob, and some of her new friends.   

She already misses Dylan, and even Alice; she didn't talk to her for long, but she looked like a good girl for Dylan.  Ellie hopes that they didn't get too mad after she left them, and that they found their way back to Jackson.  She knows that it wasn’t the best way to do this, but it was better for them; she knew from the beginning that this was something that she needed to do alone.  After 10 minutes, the water starts getting cold, so Ellie needs to finish her shower soon.  When Ellie finishes, she puts her clean clothes on, and washes the dirty ones that she put in the sink.   

After Ellie finishes with all she needs to do, she goes to the mattress and lays down.  She keeps her backpack close, and her gun under the pillow.  She starts to look at the ceiling to try to get some sleep, but even though she’s so tired, it’s difficult for her.  Since Joel’s been gone, Ellie’s been having trouble getting to sleep, not only from the nightmares… she just misses him so much.  After an hour, Ellie grabs the pillow and puts it in between her legs and arms, hugging it. She starts to think of Joel, and tries to imagine that the pillow is him.  She knows that that is so stupid and childish, but sometimes it works to get her asleep more faster.  It seems that it works this time because after a few minutes, she falls asleep, and luckily for her, she doesn't have any nightmares all night. 

  
  
  


***Two days later***

  
  


For the last two days, Ellie’s been waiting for Bill to come back to town.  She’s been checking her horse constantly, even though James says he’s been taking care of him for the last two days.  She also checks out all the stores in town; she finds it incredible that this place that is smaller that Jackson has so many places to trade and eat.  Al has been a big help on showing her the town, and helping her to make good trades, and she somehow feels so excited.  But when Al comes to her room that morning and tells her the group that went out with Bill came back last night, she’s  _ really _ excited. 

“I don't know why you’re so excited about this.  He’s just a mechanic.  Yeah, I know that he’s good, but--” Al stops talking as soon as he sees Ellie looking at him.   

“I know that this is going to sound strange to you, but what that man can do for me is going to change my life.”

“The thing you need to get fixed is that important to you?” asks Al curiously.

“You have no idea,” answers Ellie, smiling.

They continue walking on the street, until they arrive were Bill’s workshop is.  The boy tells Ellie to wait until he talks to him first, so Ellie stays outside while the boy goes inside and starts to call Bill.

“Hey… Bill, are you in here?... Bill!... Hey, mister… you have a new customer… Bill... BILL!”   

“Shut up!... I heard you the first 5 times, you don't need to yell.  Fuck, how many times have I told you not to come here and start to yell like a maniac.  And I hope that you haven't been touching anything, you know that I don't like that,” Bill starts to say from inside the room behind a counter. 

“Sorry, I just wanted to make sure that you were back there and not in your house, and I haven’t been touching anything,” says the boy as Bill walks out from the back room, cleaning some oil off his hand.  

“Okay, what’s the emergency, boy?  We just came back and I need to start fixing the water supply generators.  And you know that I don't like to be interrupted,” says Bill, stopping in front of the counter and looking at the boy.

“Well, we have a new visitor in town who needs some car parts fixed.  She’s been waiting for you for 2 days,” explains the boy to Bill. 

“Ha, car parts?  I don't remember fixing any of those in years.  So where is this new customer you speak of?” says Bill with some curiosity.  

“She’s outside -- hey Leia… you can come in now… don't worry if he’s a little grumpy -- he’s always like that,” says the boy as he gestures to Ellie to come inside.

“Leia?... ha, ha… what kind of stupid name is that?” asks Bill sarcastically.   

“Well, maybe it’s the same kind of stupid name as Bill,” says Ellie as soon as she enters the workshop.

“Wait a minute… do I know you?” asks Bill, trying to get a better look at Ellie.   

“I don't think so.  It’s the first time that she’s come to town, so I--” the boy starts to speak when Ellie moves close to him and puts a hand on his shoulder, interrupting him.

“Al, can you wait outside?  I need to discuss this alone with him, okay?” says Ellie to the boy.

“I don't understand why you need to talk with him alone... is there a problem?” asks Al.

“No!  I just need to talk to him alone, so can you go outside and wait… please?” pleads Ellie, pulling a sad face.    

“Okay, fine, but I don't understand why,” says Al, as he walks toward the door of the workshop

and goes outside. 

“Hey, why did you send the kid out?  And what do you mean that you need to talk to me alone -- who are you?  And what do you want?” asks Bill, a little mad, but with some curiosity.

“I`m a little surprised that you don't remember me, after all that happened in your little town,” says Ellie, moving closer to him. 

“Wait a second!... You’re that little brat that was with Joel 4 years ago!” says Bill, now a little surprised.   

“Yeah, that’s me.  Glad that you remember me now, because we need to talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you, except get out of my workshop, you little shit.  You and Joel ruined my life when you came to my town and messed up everything,” says Bill, now more furious.

“We didn't ruin anything -- you owed Joel a favor, and we got out of there after you fixed the truck.  So I don't know how we ruined your life.  Because as far as I can see and hear, your life is better here than that fucking town of yours, full of infected.”

“I was happy there:  nobody to bother me, I had that town the way I wanted, and had everything under control.  Until Joel and you came, and destroyed all my traps and let them loose.  A few months after you two left, everything got out of control and more infected came in, so I had to leave the place, and do my business elsewhere.”  

“That place was full of infected -- did you think that you would hold them off for long?  So you can't blame us for something that was going to happen anyway.”

“I lived there for more than 5 years.  I did my business there without a problem.  Anyway, I don't need to give you any explanation -- what are you doing here?  And don't try to tell me that you came to repair something, because I’m not going to believe that bullshit,” says Bill while he takes some items from the counter and starts to work on them. 

“I’m looking for Joel, so I need you to tell me where he is,” says Ellie, stopping in front of the counter. 

Bill stops what he’s doing and looks at her with a surprised expression. “Are you fucking kidding me?  If he got rid of you, why do you want to find him?” asks Bill.

“He didn't get rid of... me!... he just left me with his brother, and said that he was coming back. But he didn’t, so now I’m looking for him,” says Ellie, a little furious now 

“Sorry to bust your hopes, kid, but if he left you with his brother, he wasn’t planning on coming back.  So my opinion is that you should go back to wherever you came from.  Because you’re not going to find him,” Bill says to her coldly, then turns around and starts to walk toward the back room.

“I don't care what your opinion is.  I’m going to find him, and I know that you know where he is. So you`re going to tell me,” says Ellie, almost yelling.

Bill stops, but doesn't look at Ellie.  “I don't have to tell you shit, so go back home, kid.  I’ve known him and Tess for a long time; he’s like me -- he likes to work alone.  He’s always carrying that rage inside of him… he made that work, when he was with Tess, so we did some business together.  But now that Tess is gone, he’s going to get back to doing his business alone.  When he came to my town with you, you were only a job, so why do you think that he needs you?” says Bill to her.

“FUCK YOU!  You don't know anything about Joel and me, so stop giving me that crap, and just tell me where he is.”

“You better get out of here, before my patience goes.  I thought that you two died after you left my town, and the last thing I need is for you to come here and remind me that you two are still alive.”

“Well, if you don't want me to be here, just tell me where I can find him.  Because I'm sure that he came to you for help,” says Ellie, trying to convince Bill to tell her where Joel is.

“You’ve wasted your time here, girl.  He’s probably dead by now.  So why don't you do yourself a favor and go back to wherever you came from,” says Bill and starts to walk again. 

“He’s not dead, you fucking fat ass, and I know that you know something, so why don’t you just tell me and I’ll get out of here.” 

“I can't help you, kid, so it’s better if you get out of this town now,” says Bill before he goes into the back room and closes the door. 

Ellie quickly jumps over the counter and walks toward the door.  When she is in front of it, she tries to open it, but it’s locked.  Then she starts to knock on the door very hard, and starts to call Bill out. 

After a few minutes, Ellie starts to plead for his help.  “Please, I need to find him, and if you don't want me here, why don’t you just tell me where he is and I’ll go,” says Ellie while she puts her head against the door.

“I can't help you, kid, so you... just go away, before I call security and make them throw you out of here by force,” says Bill from inside the room.

Ellie tries to make him come out of there, even trying to talk nice to him, knocking on the door, and even begging for his help.  She doesn't like to do that, especially with Bill, and that makes her think that he is so arrogant, that he’s enjoying this. 

“This isn’t over -- I will get what I need from you, do you hear me?” says Ellie, finally giving up for now. 

Ellie moves away from the door and starts to walk out of the place.  But not without telling him that she is going to come back, and that she is not going to leave town until he tells her where Joel is.  Also, she trashes some of the things in there on her way out. 

“That was a little interesting!” says Al as soon as Ellie gets out of the place and passes him.  Ellie looks at him with a surprised expression on her face.

Ellie notices that he’s leaning against the wall close to the door.  “What are you still doing here?” asks Ellie, getting close to the young man.

“Well, you told me to wait outside, not to go away,” answers the boy with a little smile on his face.  

“I don't care what I said -- it’s rude to try to hear people talking through the wall.  And I don't like to be spied on,” says Ellie, a little mad at the boy. 

“I didn't need to do that -- you two were talking so loud that it’s a miracle that no one else heard all that.  You’re lucky that this street isn’t very busy.  So you two know each other?”

Ellie moves close to him and puts one hand on his chest, pressing him hard against the wall of the workshop.  “Listen, you!  Don't try to fuck with me, or I’m going to hurt you bad.  How much did you hear… ummm? ” 

“Wow… wow… take it easy, girl.  I wasn't  trying to spy on you, and I don't care if you two have some history.  But if you came here because Bill has some information you need, maybe I can help you with that,” says the boy to Ellie while he puts his hands up in a surrender position.

“What you heard in there is none of your business, and if you say something to anyone, you and I are going to have a problem, do you get that?” says Ellie, releasing her hand from his chest. Then she starts to walk away from the boy, warning him not to follow her.

A few minutes after that, the boy moves away from the workshop wall and looks at the door, then back at Ellie, now in the distance.  After that, he starts to follow her, until she walks into an empty alley.  As soon as Ellie enters, the boy walks fast to follow her in, and stops when he sees Ellie waiting for him.  

Ellie quickly grabs him by the shirt, and pushes him against a wall.  “What part of not following me don’t you understand?  Look, I don't want to hurt you, or cause any problems here, so it’s going to be better if you forget all that you heard in there, okay!  And stop following me, I mean it,” says Ellie, looking him in the eye, very pissed off now. 

“Look, I’m sorry, it was not my intention to hear all that, or cause you any trouble. But if you want any information from Bill, he is not going to tell you anything, okay?  I know him, since he arrived here, and he doesn't like or talk with anybody here, except if it’s something that has to do with his work,” says the boy calmly.

“Well, I don't care -- I know that that fat man is going to talk, sooner or later.  So I’m going to keep bothering him until he tells me what I need,” says Ellie while she moves away from Al and starts to walk away again. 

“Look, that’s not going to work, and if you piss him off, he is going to talk to Mr. Grand, and convince him to force you to leave the town,” says the boy, walking after her.

“You don't need to worry about that -- I will find a way to make him talk,” says Ellie without looking at him.

“Let me help you… please!  I know how you can make him tell you what you need to know,” says the boy, stopping in front of her.

“You don't know when to quit, do you?  Why do you want to help me?  You don't even know me.  We just met 2 days ago, so why do you insist on helping me?” says Ellie, looking him in the eye.

“Well… I had a little sister, when I was a kid... she looked a little like you. She died six years ago, and I can't do anything to help her.  But maybe I can do something to help you, if this is so important to you.  Look, maybe this is something you need to do yourself, but let me help you -- I know people here and I know Bill’s weakness.” 

“Look, I'm sorry about you sister, but I don't know you, so how can I know that you’re telling me the truth?” 

“I know that I'm a stranger to you, but you can trust me. I know there's only one thing that is going to make him talk, but it’s going to cost you… a lot!” says the boy, waiting for her reaction.

“Well, I still have a few things that I can trade, so that’s not going to be a problem,” answers Ellie.

“Okay then, I need to talk with someone, so I’ll look for you later in your room, okay?” says the boy to her, and walks away.

Ellie watches him go, and starts to walk toward the inn.  _ Great, now I need to trust this boy with whatever he is going to do... I hope it’s worth it,  _ says Ellie to herself. 

 

(Later at night in the Inn) 

“No… no… no way, I can't do that, are you crazy?” says Ellie, pacing back and forth in front of the boy. 

“I'm sorry, but it’s the only thing he's going to accept,” says Al while he tries to make Ellie calm down.    

“There must be another way, or another thing I can give him.  Maybe if I talk to him I can make him change his mind,” says Ellie, looking at him now.

“I already tried that, and he doesn't want anything else. He is the only one that has what you need.” 

“Well, maybe I can steal it!... yeah, if you know where he hides those, I can come up with a plan, you know,” says Ellie, looking at Al with a desperate expression.

“I don't think that’s going to work either... this man is powerful here, and the last one that tried to steal from him… the sheriff never found his body, and no one knows where he hides the good stuff he has in his store.” 

“Fuck!... but why the hell does he want my horse?  You told me that he never goes out of town, so what the hell does he need a horse for?” says Ellie, stopping at the window and looking outside. 

“He didn't tell me the reason, but I know that he collects a lot of rare things. So maybe he just wants a horse now. I don't know, but I can assure you that he has what we need to make Bill talk.”

“I need to think about this... can you come back in the morning?  I’ll let you know my answer by then.” After that, Ellie lays down on the mattress and starts to look at the ceiling. 

  
  


***Next day in the morning***

  
  


Ellie wakes up at the first sign of light, but she barely slept that night, thinking about what she’s going to do.  Al came to her room later that morning to see what decision she made.   After Ellie tells him what she’s going to do, they both walk to the barn and wait for the man to complete the deal.

“I am so sorry, boy… I don't want to do this, but I don't have any other choice. I need to find him and this is the only way to do it... I hope you understand that.  But don't worry, I’m going to make sure that this man treats you right, I promise,” says Ellie to her horse, while she passes her hand along the side of the horse, then she moves to caress his head.  

“The man is here... I'm sorry that you have to do this.  I wish that we could find a better way to do this.  I can see now how much you love that horse,” says the boy, walking close to her.

“Yeah, I saw him born, and gave him his name... I always took care of him, so I want you to promise me that you’re going to make sure that this man doesn't hurt him, or use him for food, okay?” says Ellie, looking now at the boy. 

“I promise -- I already told him your condition for the trade, and he agreed, so I’m going to make sure that he honors it,” says the boy, putting one hand on her shoulder.  Ellie doesn't know why, but she trusts him.

“Okay, thanks. I will trust you, so I hope that I don't have to come back here and hunt you down,” says Ellie to him, then she goes back to pet the horse and say goodbye.  “Do you hear that, Lucky, you’re going to be alright, and I promise that as soon as I can, I will come back for you, okay?”

“No need to be worried, girl, your horse is in good hands... he’s a good specimen, so the last thing I want is for him to get hurt,” says an old man entering the barn.

“Yeah, you’d better make sure that he will be okay, mister, because I’m only doing this cuz you don't give me any other choice.  But I will be coming back for him one of these days to buy him back.  So it’s better if you keep your part of the deal.  I have powerful friends, so don't make me regret this.  Because we can make your life so miserable,” says Ellie, looking now at the man.

“Ha,ha, ha… yeah, I will think about that when you`re gone, girl.  But I think that it’s going to be a pleasure to do business with you again,” says the man, walking close to the horse and putting a hand on him.

“Okay, now where is your part of the deal?” asks Ellie with a serious tone in her voice.

“Don't worry, girl, I am a man of my word… well, most of the time,” says the man with a grin on his face.  Then he takes out a radio and makes a call. “Okay, Jeff, you can bring the box to the barn now.”

After a few minutes, another man enters the barn with a small box in his hand. 

“There you go.  I was holding that for a special occasion, so I hope that you make good use of them. They are maybe the last ones in this world, who knows... it cost me a lot to get them,” says the man with a little smile on his face.

After they finish their business, Ellie says her final goodbye to her horse and goes. She is trying to hold back some tears, so that the boy doesn't see her like that.  After that, Ellie and the boy arrive at Bill’s workshop, and enter.  As always, he isn’t at the front counter, so Ellie proceeds to call him out.

“Hey!  Fat man, we need to talk, so why don’t you just come out of that room, so we can talk,” says Ellie with a thick voice.

“What the hell are you doing back here?  I thought I told you to never come back.  I don't have anything to say to you,” says Bill, moving close to the counter, on the other side.

“Well, maybe this will change your mind,” says Ellie while she opens the small box, pulls out 2 bottles, and sets them on the counter.   

  
  


***Back to the present, in the cabin***

  
  
Ellie finishes telling the story to Joel while he’s sitting in a chair, close to the generator. Joel quickly stands up and goes where Ellie was sitting, seeing a few tears falling down her cheek. Then he pulls her up from the chair and hugs her as hard as he can. Ellie hugs him back.

“Shit!  Ellie, I'm so sorry that you had to do that.  I know how much you love that horse, and you gave him up just to make Bill tell you where to find me!” says Joel, kissing her on the head.

“Yeah, I knew that you were going to think that that was so stupid.  But I love you more than I love that horse.  I know that I'm going to miss him, but it was the only way to find you,” says Ellie with more tears coming out of her eyes. 

“Fuck!  Ellie, why do you have to be like that... it makes me feel like an asshole.  All those things you had to do just to get back to me,” says Joel with a sad expression.  

“Being in your arms like this, it was worth it... I love you, Joel.  And I never would change all that, if I had to do it again,” says Ellie, hugging Joel harder, like she wants to make sure that he’s not going to disappear, and find that all this was a dream.   

“I love you too, kiddo, and I’m always going to thank whoever put you in my path.  Also, I’m going to give a piece of my mind to that asshole, the next time I see him. I can't believe that he told you how to find me after you gave him a bottle of Puerrorican Rum,” says Joel with a little indignation.

“Well, they were 2 bottles, but I’m never going to understand how you love that stuff so much.” 

  
  
  



	22. Getting Hot on the last Winter's Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Ellie finish the story, on how she found him, they decided to pass a little more time, before they need to get out of the cabin and go back to Jackson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention. 
> 
> Warning: This chapter contain some smutty, so you are warning.

**Chapter 21: Getting Hot on the last Winter's Night**

 

***One week later***

 

For the last week, Ellie and Joel have continued to work on developing their new relationship. Ellie is happy that they’re finally together, and that both are working out all their issues.  Joel has been working in the cabin all week, trying to make the generator work longer.  Since Joel got past the sex issue that he had with Ellie because of the age difference, they have sex a few more times during the week.  Ellie convinces Joel that since the sex thing is new for her, she needs more  practice.  Even though Joel tries to explain to her that she doesn't need to do that, she tells him that they need to compensate for the time he was gone. Joel finds that a little amusing, but doesn’t complain much about that.  It’s making Ellie happy, so Joel lets thing go that way for her.

After the sex thing, Ellie tries to work on Joel’s looks. So she wakes up a little late in the morning, and tells Joel that he needs a haircut. Of course, he tries to protest when Ellie offers herself to do it. But that doesn’t work too much for him as he is now in a chair, in the middle of the living room, Ellie behind him with a scissors.

“Joel, it’s going to be better for you if you stop moving, okay?” says Ellie while she tries to cut Joel's hair.

“I just don't want to lose my ears, okay, and besides, I cut my hair last month, remember?” says Joel, trying to stop Ellie from cutting his hair.

“Are you trying to say that I don't know how to do this?” asks Ellie with a serious tone.

“No... Of course not!  But you don't need to do this. I’ve been cutting my hair for a long time and--”

“Yeah, I know, but you’re not alone now.  I just want to do something for you, so stop complaining, okay?” says Ellie while she continues cutting his hair.

“Ellie, you’ve already done a lot for me, you don't need to--” he is cut off again.

Ellie bends down a little until she is close to his ear, then she speaks with a lower voice, “Joel, I do this because I want to, not because I need to or have to.  We are together now, right? So let's do things together, okay?”

“Yeah-- yeah, you’re right… but just don't mess up my hair, okay?” says Joel, smiling a little.

“Joel, nothing can mess that up more, so don't worry about that. Also, I’m going to trim your beard a little, okay?”

“Yeah, don't mess with that... I love my beard, thank you,” says Joel, smiling a little.

“Oh, don't worry, I love that too -- it’s one of the things that makes you so sexy,” answers Ellie, then bends down again and kisses him on the cheek.

After one hour, Ellie finishes with Joel’s hair. “So what do you think?” asks Ellie while she removes the towel from him and shakes it off.

Joel stands up from the chair and walks up to a small mirror that is hanging on the wall close to the kitchen area. “Wow, Ellie that ain’t bad... you did a nice job, thanks,” says Joel, looking at himself in the mirror. He starts to pass one hand over his head and beard; he looks at his reflection and sees all the gray hair he has now. He tries not to think about how old he is; he just wants to give Ellie all he has left of his life.  If she is happy, he is happy for that.  

“So, am I good, or not?  Maybe if being a doctor doesn't work out, we can open a barber shop back in Jackson.  What do you think, Joel?” says Ellie, looking at her handiwork.

“Ha, ha, ha… I don't think that that’s going to work so much,” answers Joel, laughing a little.

“Why not?  Look, I have it all figured out -- you can repair one of the old houses in the north part of town, and we can start a barbershop there.  That’s going to be great -- we can make a sign that says ‘Ellie & Joel Barber and Handyman shop’... yeah, that could be supercool.  I cut hair and you can repair things.  We also can hire someone to help if we get a lot of customers and--”

“Wow… wow, slow down, kiddo, that sounds nice, but it’s not going to be better if you can be a doctor. That way, you can help more people, don’t you think?  And besides, you’re already a nurse, ain’t that right?” says Joel, trying to make her slow down on her talk.

“Yeah, but Wilson said that I need to do a lot of studying to be a doctor, and even if I study a lot, that’s going to take time. So maybe it’s good if we do something else in the meantime, don't you think?” answers Ellie.

“I tell you what.  Let's talk about this later, okay, now I need to wash my hair and take a quick shower,” says Joel, walking toward the bathroom.

“Ohhhh… shower, maybe I can take one with you-- you know, to save water!” says Ellie, winking.

“Ohh... no... not a chance, lady -- the last time you did that, the last thing you did was clean yourself up.  And I really need to wash myself, so-- no!” says Joel, moving faster toward the bathroom and closing the door.

“Hey, I don't remember hearing any complaints from you. As far as I can remember, you enjoy that too,” says Ellie while she tries to open the door of the bathroom.  “Oh... c’mon, don't be like that, I promise I won't do anything, okay?” says Ellie, knocking at the door.

“Yeah, you said that the last time too, so go away and start to make something to eat, okay?”  says Joel from inside the bathroom.

_Shit! Oh don't worry, you need to go to bed at night and-- oh I just got an idea, hehehe… oh, this is going to be better,_ says Ellie to herself while she walks away toward the kitchen, smiling.

 

(One hour later)

Joel comes out from the bathroom, wearing clean clothes.  Ellie is in the kitchen, preparing some meat and vegetables, when Joel enters there.   

“We need to go hunting again,” says Joel as soon as he enters the kitchen.  “The meat is almost gone.  We’re going to need more, if we plan to leave here soon.  Winter’s almost over, and as soon as the snow starts to clear up, Amber’s men are going to show up here, looking for her or me.”

“Yeah, you said that before, but you said that we have at least a couple of weeks, right?” asks Ellie, with a little hope on her face.  Even though Ellie knows that they need to go soon, she is hoping that Joel and she can spend a little more time at the cabin.  With nobody to judge the relationship that they share now.  

“Yeah, maybe we have that much time here, but it’s better if we don't wait that long,” answers Joel while he sits in one of the kitchen chairs.

“Okay, so I have an idea -- since we need to go soon, why don’t we go to the little lake and spend the rest of the day there, including the night, to relax?  What do you think…. Ummm?” says Ellie, now sitting in front of him.

“Ellie, even though winter’s almost over, it’s going to be cold out there, spending the night outside.  I don't think that that’s a good idea.”     

“Why not?.... Look, we can take the little tent you have in here, and we can make a campfire. It’ll be like old times,” says Ellie with a smile on her face.

Joel puts his hands together on top of the table and looks at Ellie. “I dunno, Ellie... we have to get started with the preparations to leave this place.  Besides, we’re going to have plenty of campfires as soon as we hit the road again.”

“I know, Joel, but we can't relax then, so it’s not going to be the same.  And besides, this is maybe going to be the last time that we’ll be in here, and since it hasn’t been snowing for a few weeks.  I want to enjoy that hot lake for the last time-- c`mon, Joel it could be fun… please!” says Ellie, putting her hand on top of Joel`s and making a sad face to try to convince him.

Joel looks at her and sees what she’s trying to do... _damn, who can say no to that?_ “Okay, we can go.”

“Yayyy… thanks, Joel, you’re the best!” says Ellie, jumping up from her chair, walking over to Joel, hugging him from the back and kissing him on the cheek. “You’re not going to regret this -- we’re going to have so much fun.  You’ll see.”

“Yeah, I know that it’s going to be great.” ... _and I can imagine what you mean by fun, too..._ “Okay, I’ll go to find the tent.  You should be starting to prepare what we need to stay all night there, okay?” says Joel, standing up from the chair as soon as Ellie lets go of him.  

“Yeah… yeah, you get the tent and the sleeping bag, and I’ll go get the rest of the things we need.  Yes, this is going to be cool, the two of us at that lake.  This is going to be like when we went to that lake in Jackson and you started to teach me how to swim, remember?  Wow, I can’t believe that it’s been almost 3 years since then…”

Ellie continues talking, mostly to herself, without stopping.  Joel just looks at her, finding that a little amusing… like old times, when they were on the road and Ellie talked all the time.  Joel smiles a little, remembering those days with Ellie.   _She was so young and innocent... well, to some level, of course._ Joel starts to think of those days, when she asked all kinds of questions about the old world, so innocent, and eager to know everything from a time that she never knew. But looking at her now, how proud he is of what Ellie has become, so strong and independent, always fighting for what she believes.  And now Joel can see the great woman she is starting to be… he can't ask for better than that.   

 

***A few hours later at the lake site***

 

Joel and Ellie prepare all the things they need for spending the night at the little lake.  As the winter is almost over and since it’s not been snowing for the past 2 weeks, the snow is starting to melt, and the walk to the lake is easier now.  They start to assemble the tent as soon as they get there; since the night is going to come soon, Joel tells Ellie that it’s better to have everything ready before then. It takes them more than an hour to set up camp, with Ellie joking around most of the time.  Joel goes to check the few traps they set close to the lake a few days before, and when he comes back with 2 rabbits in hand, Ellie is a little excited, and she already has the fire started.    

They prepare the rabbits and put them on the fire to start to cook them.  By the time the rabbits are ready, it’s almost night.  Ellie makes some jokes while they eat, and tries to convince Joel to tell some stories about what people did around the campfire like this in the old times.  Joel tells her that some people went to the forest to hunt or to spend some time with nature.  Then they would all reunite around the fire and tell some ghost stories.  He tells her about how one time, his father took Tommy and him on a hunting trip.  And that when they were in the forest, his dad told them a story about how people saw dead people walking in the cemetery sometimes.  Joel tells her how Tommy was so scared that night that he never went to sleep.  Ellie finds that a little funny, how some old stories that scared people in the past have become reality now.

After a few hours of laughing and talking, Joel ends up with his back resting on a large trunk.  Ellie is beside him with her head on his chest and one hand on his waist.  One of Joel`s arms  surrounds her shoulder, keeping her close to him, as some coyotes and owls can be heard in the distance.

“Ohhh, Joel, I love this place -- besides the sound of some wild animals, this is so quiet, and nice.  I wish that we could live here forever, just the two of us,” says Ellie, passing her hand over Joel’s chest.

“Yeah, that would be nice, but we need to get back before those people find us here,” says Joel with some concern on his voice.

“Yeah, I know, it’s just I'm a little scared of what’s going to happen when we get back. I don't want to lose what we have now.”

“We’re going to be fine, kiddo… whatever happens when we get back, we’re going to be fine,”  Joel says to her with more confidence this time.

“What do you think Maria and Tommy are going to say… ummm!  I don't want to lose them, or for you to have any problems with them, because of this,” says Ellie, lifting her head up from his chest and looking him in the eye.

“I know that Tommy is not going to be happy with this, but I can manage him.  Maria, on the other hand, is one person I don't want to face when she finds out.”

“Wait a minute... you are afraid of Maria?” asks Ellie, a little surprised.

“Of course -- if she keeps Tommy under control, what do you think she is going to do with me when she finds out that I’m in love and having sex with you?” Joel says, looking at her with a worried face.

“Ahhh… you don't need to worry about that.  I’ll talk to her as soon as we get back.  And I’m going to make sure that neither of them kill you, okay, so you can chill.  Oh, speaking of that, I’m going to swim in the lake a little... are you coming?” says Ellie, moving away from Joel, standing up, and starting to walk toward the lake.

“Oh, that makes me feel better-- wait, are you crazy?  It’s dark -- you can't go in there!” says Joel, standing up too, and following her.  

“Oh, it’s okay.  It’s a full moon, and the light from the fire makes it clear enough to see.”

Then Ellie starts to take her clothes off, and moves close to the shore of the little lake.  When she finishes taking everything off except for her underwear, she turns around and looks at Joel.   

“So what do you think, Joel?  It’s not the red bikini, but it’s close.”  She’s wearing pink underwear, trying to impress Joel with it, but after a few minutes, she starts to tremble from the cold night.  So she decides that it’s better to go and enter the water that’s a little hot.  Joel just stops on the shore and looks at her, and starts to think, _how can she do that?_

Ellie goes a little deeper in the water until she’s submerged to the waist, then she starts to splash water at Joel.  Joel starts to think that Ellie is right; the thermal water will keep them warm when they’re in there.

“C`mon, Joel, the water’s good -- we’re going to be warmer in the water than out there,” says Ellie, sending more water at Joel.  

“Hey, it’s not cool if I get my clothes wet -- it’s getting too cold out here,” says Joel, moving a little away from the lake.

“Then c`mon... you’re going to be warmer in here,” says Ellie, smiling.

“Okay, just wait a minute.”  Then Joel starts to take his clothes off too, until he is just in his underpants.  After he finishes undressing, he walks toward the water and gets in.  Ellie moves close to him as soon as he enters the lake, and jumps on him.  The weight of Ellie sends him backward into the water; even though Ellie doesn't weigh that much, she just caught Joel by surprise.

“How do you like that, ummm?  Now that I got you, what’re you going to do about it?” asks Ellie while she’s on top of him.

“Oh, so you want to play that way... ummm?” Then Joel grabs Ellie and stands up.  The water is not too deep where he landed before, so he gets up easily.  Ellie tries to get out of his grip, but struggles in vain, as Joel now moves her body to his shoulder and starts to walk deeper into the water.

“Joel, what are you doing?  You’re going too deep, and I haven’t been swimming in years!”  

“Ohhhh… I thought that you wanted to swim, ain’t that right?” As soon as he says that, he throws Ellie down into deeper water.  After a few moments, he starts to worry when Ellie doesn't come up, so he moves his hand over the water to try to see where she is, when he feels something on his legs.

Ellie moves quickly to grab Joel`s underpants and bring them down.  Joel loses his balance from Ellie’s surprise attack under the water, and falls backward again.  After that, Ellie surfaces from the deep water with Joel`s underpants in her hands.   

“Ellie, what the hell!... what did you do that for?” asks Joel, starting to get up again.

“Oh, I’m just taking out your defenses.” Ellie starts to wave around the pants, laughing.  “If you want them back, you need to catch me first!” Then she starts to swim around, as soon as Joel starts to move to get her.  They play in the water for a while, until Joel gives up and goes to the shore, and goes to sit in shallower water.

Ellie moves close to him and sits beside him. “Oh please don't tell me that you’re tired, Joel?”

“Are you going to give me my underpants back?” asks Joel, looking at her.

“Nope!  I don't think that you’re going to need them anymore,” says Ellie while she turns around and throws them close to the campfire. “And I don't think I need mine, either.”

Then Ellie stands up and moves in front of Joel.  Joel is sitting in the water... well, it’s covering him almost to the chest.  But for Ellie, the water only covers her a little above the knees, so she puts her hand on her back and starts to take off her bra slowly. “I wanted to do this in that little lake, when you taught me to swim, but since I didn’t have the chance back then, I’m going to do it now.”    

Ellie takes off all her underwear while she does a sexy little dance in front of Joel, until she’s completely naked.  Joel looks at her, a little surprised at how beautiful and sexy she is, but he already knew that something like this was coming.

“Do you like what you see?” asks Ellie with a sexy voice, and starts to move close to him.

“Yes, I like everything I see in front of me,” answers Joel quickly.

“Good, because I like what I see in front of me too, and I want all of that now,” says Ellie while she sits in Joel’s lap.

“Well, that’s good, because I’m always going to be yours.”  Then Joel puts his hand on Ellie’s face and brings her close to him, and kisses her.

Both of them start to kiss so passionately, like two lovers do when they haven’t seen each other for a long time.  They touch and kiss each other for 10 minutes, then Joel grabs Ellie’s butt cheeks and starts to squeeze them.  Ellie moves her head while she arches her back in pleasure.  Joel quickly takes the opportunity and moves his mouth to one of Ellie’s breasts, and starts to lick and suck on her nipple.  

Ellie starts to moan and move her head to Joel’s shoulder, and when she’s close to his ear, she whispers, “Joel... I need you... inside of me... please...” And she starts to rub her body against Joel`s.  

“Anything for you, kiddo,” answers Joel, then he grabs her butt more tightly and pulls her up until she’s on top of his hard dick.  Then slowly, he starts to lower her, and in a slower process, he enters her until he’s completely inside.  Ellie moans in pleasure all the way, until she feels all of Joel`s dick inside her.  Ellie moves her head again to capture his lips, and kisses him while Joel starts to move her body up and down, slowly.  After a few minutes, he finds a good rhythm so he can give Ellie all the pleasure she needs.  A few minutes later, she starts to moan in Joel`s mouth.  Joel can feel her heart beating so fast, and she’s moaning so loud that he decides to end this as fast as he can.  So he starts to move faster and deeper, to take Ellie to her climax.     

A few minutes after that, Ellie starts to moan Joel`s name, louder than before, as Joel moves faster now.  He can feel Ellie’s climax coming soon, so he moves one hand and grabs Ellie’s ponytail, pulls her head back a little, then takes his other hand, moves it to Ellie’s butt, and starts to pass his finger over Ellie’s butthole, just to stimulate her a little more. That is all Ellie needs to come; as she feels the new sensation, she can't hold back anymore, and screams Joel`s name as she comes. Joel thrusts into her a few more times, as his climax is close, too.  He tries to pull out of Ellie, as he knows that he is going to come soon.  

But Ellie grabs his head with her two hands and buries her face in his neck.  “Ellie, you need to move out, I can’t take much more of this,” says Joel while he tries to push Ellie off of him.  But Ellie grabs him more firmly as she feels another orgasm coming.  So before Joel can pull Ellie off of him, both of them come at the same time.  They stay there for a few minutes, breathing fast, and trying to get some air back so they can speak again.  Their bodies are covered by the water, so the cold of the night doesn't affect them that much.

“Fuck!  Joel, that was intense, and you made me... come... twice,” says Ellie, trying to get some air to her lungs to speak.

After a few minutes, Joel has the strength to speak, too. “Damn... Ellie, why did you let me come... inside of you… shit.  You know the consequences of that, right?” says Joel, putting his hands on his head and closing his eyes.

“You don't need to worry about that, Joel, I had my period last week.  So we're okay in that department,” says Ellie, moving away from him just a little, so she can look him in the eye.

“Well, that’s good to know, but we need to be more careful, okay?” says Joel while he puts one hand on Ellie’s face and gives her a small kiss.

“Okay, but don't tell me that you didn’t enjoy that… ummm?” asks Ellie as soon as the kiss ends.

“Yeah I did, that was great,” answers Joel with a smile on his face.

“Yeah, I wanted to have sex with you so bad in that lake, that I had a dream about that a few days later.  But now I'm so happy that I finally made that dream come true, so thank you, Joel,” says Ellie, hugging him, putting her head on his shoulder, and kissing him on the cheek.

“You don't need to thank me for that, kiddo.  But now is a good time to get out of the water and dry out in the tent before we freeze to death,” says Joel.

“Okay, I love you, Joel!” says Ellie in a lower voice.

“I love you too, kiddo,” answers Joel, kissing her cheek.

Then Joel grabs Ellie firmly as he gets up and walks out of the water.  They start to feel the cold, since both of them are naked, as soon as they get out of the water. So Joel moves as fast as he can and goes to the campfire to get some heat.  Then he puts Ellie down, grabs some towels, and gives one to Ellie as soon as they arrive there.  After that, Ellie enters the tent quickly, puts a t-shirt on, and waits for Joel to enter, too.  After a few minutes, they both are dry, and have some clothes on them.

After a few minutes, both of them go inside the sleeping bag and pass the rest of the night in the tent, snuggling together.  They talk a little, until they feel tired, so they decide to go to sleep.  A little after that, they both fall asleep in one another’s arms as the cold night continues, with some sounds of wild animals in the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi, this is the last chapter I have ready to post, before the hurricane hit us in PR. I still without power and Internet at home, and even that the communication and internet are better now on the Island. I can`t work on the new chapter for now, I do some chapter on paper, but I going to need more time to pass those and work on them. So this Story is going to get a little delay during that process, but don't worry, I going to do my best to post a soon as I can. And I want to LYK that this story is going to be finished not matter what. Thanks for you all for patience, and I hope you continue reading this in the future. Thanks for reading this story.


	23. Feeling older Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just before Ellie and Joel left the cabin to go back to Jackson, Joel start to feel down. He start to think again, if he doing the right thing with Ellie, but Ellie have to convince him again, that he is the best thing is happen to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are my invention. 
> 
>  
> 
> A/N: Hi, here the next chapter on this story. Like you all know by now I don’t have internet at home, and the power, just come in 3 weeks ago.  
> I do some chapter on paper, when I have no power. But those are taking time to pass on the Pc, as I using the google doc, to do the story, and I need the internet for that. I will continue posting the chapter a soon I get them ready, but that is going to be slow now. Thanks for reading this story, and I hope that you all understand, the reason of the delay on this.

**Chapter 22 : Feeling older Again**

  


***A Week Later***

  
  


The first week of spring has started, so now the sun is starting to melt the snow covering the mountain, and it’s getting warmer, too.  Joel and Ellie start to prepare the things they are going to need when they leave the cabin.  The generator stopped working two days ago, but Joel decided that repairing that would be a waste of time; they would be out of there soon, so why bother?  Ellie wants to secure the place in case they need to come back, if something goes wrong, or if they are not accepted back in Jackson.  Joel wants to destroy the place before Amber’s men find it, but Ellie convinces him to only destroy whatever things they have there that can give them any information on where they are going, or use it to track them down.  So after a long discussion, Joel agrees to just do that, and leave the cabin intact.  After that, he starts to hide the guns and ammunition that they can't carry out, and burn any paper or maps that they’re not taking with them that can identify them or any route they’re going to take.  

It’s a good thing that they only know Joel by the name of Hunter, and nothing more.  Joel didn't talk to them much or socialize during the time he spent with those people.  The general and Amber were the ones Joel talked to the most, but since they were only using him to help them to find the Fireflies’ bases, he didn't say much to them, either.  But Amber and her little group made a deal with the Firefly leader that Joel was looking for, and knew about Ellie.  It was bad luck that Joel had to kill her before she could tell him who this guy was or where he could find him.  But that doesn’t matter much now, because he’s decided not to continue with that, and go back to Jackson with Ellie.

He knows that the rest of Amber’s men are going to come for her -- and Ellie, too, if they know about her.  Since nobody carries ID in this world, it’s going to be hard to find her unless they have a picture.  Back in Jackson, Tommy and Maria put a man (who was a judge, before the virus fucked everything up) in charge of keeping some kind of records of all the people that live in Jackson.  He can also perform marriages, and some other kinds of legal things.  Even though he is a judge, any kind of crime or illegal things that occur that could put the town or the people there at risk is handled differently, not the legal way that it was before.  But those cases are rare, because all the people there just want to live in peace.  

Besides all the preparation to leave the cabin, their routine has been the same for the last week. Joel is upstairs, looking for the bow and arrows that he needs for hunting, and for some reason, he can't find them.  “Ellie, where did you put the bow the last time you used it?” asks Joel while he looks down to Ellie, who is sitting on the couch, reading a book.   

Ellie lays the book down at her side and looks up.  “Why are you asking me?  I`m not the last person that used that.  If I remember correctly, you used that two days ago,” answers Ellie from below.

“No!  It was you.  You’re the one that killed those two rabbits we ate for that dinner… remember?” answers Joel, now standing in front of the railing in the bedroom.  

_Ohhh, yeah, that’s right_.  “Okay, I must’ve put it in the bedroom closet with the other things -- did you look there?” asks Ellie.

“Of course I did!” _What do you think, that I’m so old I forgot if I looked in the closet?_ Joel is babbling to himself while he walks toward the closet.  When he gets in front of it, he opens the closet doors and sees his bow and arrows beside Ellie’s hunter rifle. _Shit..._ He bends down and takes the bow in his hand, and looks at it.  He stays there, and starts to wonder how he missed that.   _I thought that I checked the closet, so maybe I'm getting too old and starting to forget things,_ he says to himself.   _But I'm not that old... yet!  I’m only 53...or is it 54 now?… shit!_  Joel starts to think again… about how old he is and how this relationship with Ellie is going to be.  Is this going to ruin her life? her future?  She is only 18, and even though she is going to be 19 soon, he’s still too old for her.  He loves her; he is sure of that, and she loves him -- she’s said it like a 100 times.  Even though Ellie said that she doesn't care about the age difference, it’s still there, like a bell in his mind.   _But is this going to be good for her?  Or fair_? He knows that they’ve talked about this a few times, and she said that it was okay with her... that they can do this.  He tries not to think of this anymore, but knowing that they’re going back to Jackson, things are going to be different there.  He is taken out of his thoughts when he hears Ellie`s voice behind him.       

“Oh, I see that you found them!... See, I told you that they were in the closet,” says Ellie, getting close behind him and putting her hand on his shoulder.  

“Yeah, I thought that I looked in there, but… I'm sorry for thinking that you took them and put them somewhere else.” Joel looks at the bow, then grabs the arrows too and starts to stand up. Ellie moves away from him as he stands up, without saying a word.  As soon as Joel is up, he walks toward the bed and throws the bow and arrows there, then he sits on the bed without looking at Ellie.

Ellie sees that something is wrong with him; he normally doesn't act like that.  Well, he does sometimes, but normally not with her.  So she walks to the bed, and when she gets there, she moves the bow and arrows aside and sits beside him. “Joel, what’s wrong, you look… I dunno, like something is bothering you.”    

Joel is looking at his hands, not noticing that Ellie is sitting beside him.  He sees how old they’re starting to look, and he knows that more gray hair is growing on him now.  Ellie is trying to figure out what is with him, but as she sees him looking at his hands with a sad expression, she already knows.  So she moves one hand and grabs Joel’s, interlocks her fingers with his, and pulls it into her lap, to make Joel look at her.

He seems to be lost in his thoughts, not even realizing that Ellie took his hand, so he doesn't move, or look at her.  Ellie starts to call his name and squeeze his hand, so he knows that she is there.  “Joel!… Joel!... can you look at me... please.”

Joel moves his head and looks at his hand -- the one that Ellie is holding in her lap now.  Then he looks at her face.  “Sorry, kiddo, I just… I was just... thinking.”  Then he looks away again.

“Joel, I don't know what you’re thinking right now, but you know that whatever it is, we can talk about it, right?” Ellie starts to pass her other hand on top of Joel`s, trying to get his attention again, or at least get him to say something.  Joel shifts his gaze and looks at Ellie’s hands that are now stroking his in a loving way.  He just sees how young and small Ellie's hands are, and even though she’s more grown up now, in his eyes, she still looks like that little girl he met 4 years ago.  He starts to wonder if he’s really doing the right thing.

He went away from Jackson to give Ellie a chance to move on, to live her life… and to make sure that those fucking Fireflies didn't find her.  Even if that decision broke his heart for the last 2 years.  He tries to put his mind into other things, trying to find this man and putting an end to the threat.  But besides all that, Ellie managed to get out of Jackson and find him here, after all this time.  Ellie told him that she can't live without him, and even though he tried to stay away from her, they still found each other.  He doesn't know if the life she wants with him is the right thing for her, even if she thinks it is.  He finally lifts up his head and looks at her again, and finally speaks.  “Ellie… is this... what you really want?”   

“What do you mean by that?” asks Ellie with a worried face.

“I mean… you know… me?” he says, trying to find the best words to say what he needs to say. “Do you really want... to do this?  Look at me, I’m just an old fucking man who’s sick enough to have feelings for a young girl.  I know that you think that all this is okay for you, but for some people, this is inappropriate.  When we get back, I will be just an old perv in the eyes of all those people… that I'm just taking advantage, just to have sex with you.”  Ellie listens to him without saying anything, just waiting for him to finish what he needs to say, again.  Joel continues.  “I'm 53 now, and you deserve someone better than me, and younger.  I always want the best for you, Ellie… you know that, don't you?  I promise you that I’m never going to leave you again, and I will keep my promise this time.  But maybe you need to consider this: having a romantic life with an old man like me...is--”  He stops talking and looks at her, just waiting on what she’s going to say.  But somehow, he already knows what she’s going to say.     

_‘Smack’_ Joel’s face turns from the impact of Ellie`s hand hitting him.  Then he turns to look at her with his eyes wide open, a surprised expression on his face, like he can’t believe what Ellie just did.

Elle has some tears in her eyes now but continues to look at him.  “Sorry I had to do that, but sometimes you just say some stupid things that make me want to be mad at you.  So I hope that you’re finished with that, because what I’m going to say is the last time I’m going to say it.  And all the shit that you just said -- I don’t want to hear it again, is that clear?” she says with a firm voice.

“Yes, ma'am,” is the only thing he can say after Ellie hit him.

Ellie wipes the tears from her eyes, moves one hand and puts it on Joel’s face, in the place where she just hit him. “Joel, I don't care what your age is, or how old you look.  I love you... for you, not your looks, or physical... that doesn’t matter to me, but I think that you look super hot for your age.  So yes, this is what I want.  I’ve waited for this for so long, and even had 2 fucking years to think about it.  All I had in my mind was what I’m going to do or say when I finally find you... do you think that I would do that if I cared about your age?  I don't care what other people are going to say or think -- this is going to be my decision, not anyone else’s.  And another thing -- I’m never going to think that you are a pervert or a sick person, or anything like that.  Even if things were like that in your time, that time is gone now.  You’ve always cared for me and loved me, even when I was just a stranger to you... you did your best to keep me alive, and make sure that I felt safe and happy.”        

Joel moves his head away from her again.  “Yeah, I know that you don't care about my age, but there’s going to be a time when I will be too old for--” Ellie pulls his head back her way, so he can face her.  Then she puts one finger on his mouth so he can’t say another word.

“I’m not finished yet, Joel,” she tells him with a calmer voice.  “Yeah, I know that you’re going to get older at some point, but I’m going to be there to take care of you when you can't do it yourself.”  Joel smiles a little, then Ellie lets go of Joel’s hand, and stands up from the bed.  She moves in front of him and kneels down.  After that, she moves her hands and puts them on both sides of Joel`s face, and looks him firmly in the eye.  “Joel, we’ve talked about this before... too much for my taste, I think.  But I want to let you know that I want to be with you, no matter what.  You`re the only man I want in my life, you’re the only family I need.  I know that you worry about what Maria and Tommy are going to say or think, because they are our other family we have. We’re going to talk to them, and try to make sure that they understand why we’re doing this.  I don't care about what the rest of the people there are going to think.  I know that we have some friends there now... well, me more than you, but if they’re going to judge you or me for what we feel for each other, then they’re not our real friends.  I don't want to lose them because of that, but if they don’t want us to be together because of the age difference, then so be it.  I hope that that doesn’t happen, but if the people of Jackson don't accept our love, then we don’t need to stay there.  I hope that things don't get that far... we’ve already lost too much: you lost your daughter, your relationship with your brother, Tess, and almost your humanity.  I lost a lot of people, too… too many friends... my mother.” Ellie closes her eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath.  “I never knew her, but I know that she loved me, and wanted the best for me. I miss them all, even Marlene.  I know that she wasn’t the best person in this world, but who is? She loved me to a point... I know that that wasn’t much, but she did, and now, all that is gone.”

“I'm sorry about that, I know that--” Joel starts to apologize, but Ellie stops him.

“You don't need to do that now, Joel, I know that you did what you thought was best for me and for you.  But we agreed that we were going to leave all that in the past, remember?  So we can have a new life, a new start.  You want me to be happy?  Then stop thinking about the age thing.  Being with you makes me the happiest person in this world, and nothing is going to change that.  Even when you’re... like 80 or 90, and need to be in a wheelchair, and need someone to feed you, I will be happy to be there with you.” Joel laughs at that a little, trying to imagine Ellie giving him the food in the mouth, like an old man in those homes that care for old people.  He knows that he’s not going to get to that age, but he finds that that is so cute anyway. “So the only thing you need to be doing to make me happy is to stay with me, and love me the way you always do.”

Joel looks in her eyes, and the only thing he sees is the love that this girl feels for him.  Not a crush, not a temporary thing, or some gratitude love, but a real and true love.  He never thought that he was going to be able to fall in love again either, but this girl is something out of this world.  How a girl of her age can be so mature... so sensitive and funny.  She helped him to open his heart again, as much as he sees that she opened hers to him.  So he has the determination to let go of all those fears he has about how old he is for her, and trying to make her happy.  He knows that some people aren’t going to understand, but why does he need to care about that?  He finally smiles at her, and moves his hand to grab Ellie’s face and pull her to him, and starts to kiss her.  The kiss starts slow, but gets more passionate and deep... until they need some air, then they separate.  “Do you think I’m going to live that long?” asks Joel with a smile on his face.

“Of course you are… Look, we’re going to get back home so you can meet your niece or nephew, because by now, Maria’s baby should’ve been born.  Wow, now that I mention that... I missed that, and probably Jenna’s wedding, too.  I just hope that she won’t be too mad at me for breaking my promise.” Ellie stands up, but stays in front of Joel in silence for a few seconds, then continues.  “Anyway, everything is going to be okay.  You’ll see, and after a while, we’re going to be a big family.  Maybe Tommy and Maria are going to have more children, and in time, we can have our own, too.  You know, running around the house with Tommy`s kids, and--” She stops when Joel holds up his hand in the ‘stop’ position.   

“Whoa whoa whoa… don't you think you're going too fast on that?  I think that you’re still too young to start thinking of having children,” says Joel, standing up and putting his hand on her shoulders to stop her train of thought.

“Oh!… yeah, no need to worry about that, Joel.  I was talking about more in the future... not like right now!...  But anyway, we can think about that in a few years, you know,” she says, smiling. “And you said that you want me to have a family, so we can make some plans in that direction, right?” says Ellie, moving her hands to grab his waist.

“Ummmm… Maybe it’s better if we leave that for another time, okay,” he says, smiling at her, but he really needs to think about that.  Because he is not sure if he wants to have another child, after what happened to Sarah.

Thinking about Sarah always makes him a little sad.  The loss of his daughter almost destroyed him, and he doesn't want to live through that experience twice.  The thought of losing Ellie is bad enough for now, so the idea of losing another child, if he has one with Ellie, is scaring him a lot.  He needs to talk with Ellie about that at the proper time.  “Shit, girl, when you say things like that, it’s hard to think that you’re only 18.  You are good at this talking thing, so maybe you can be the new Jackson couples counselor.”  

Ellie is still standing in front of him, but now with her arms crossed in front of her chest, looking at him while he’s in front of the bed, smiling.  But at least her mission is completed, as she’s noticed that his mood has changed.  Ellie knows that Joel doesn't want to discuss the children issue; she’s mentioned that to him a few times.  And even though they’ve just been a couple for a few months now, they need to talk about that.  She knows that it’s not a good idea to have children right now; she’s not even ready for that yet.  But she really wants to have children with Joel one day; she wants to have a family of her own. _But does he really want them?  I know that he can... I read in some books that babies come from the man’s seed, and Joel still has a lot of that.  I can't believe sometimes that a man of his age can come so much.  He is so good in bed that sometimes I can't  feel my legs the next day._ Ellie stops her thoughts when she sees Joel look at her, waiting for her to say something.   _Right!  “_ Then don't think that,” says Ellie quickly. “And for your information, I’m going to be 19 soon… So we're good?”

“Yeah, I think we are, and thanks for being so… you.  I think that I needed that,” answers Joel.

“Okay, that’s great, because now you need to make it up to me, for being like that and making me worry… again,” Ellie says while she walks close to him and hugs him hard.

“Is that so!” says Joel, moving his arm and hugging her back, pulling her closer to him.

“Yeah! and you need to make it good, for making me do this all over again.  And another thing -- I’m going to be a doctor someday, not a couple counselor, or whatever that means.”

“Ha,ha,ha--” Joel laughs a little at how Ellie can be so clueless sometimes. “Well, a counselor is some kind of a doctor too, you know.  So I think that you’re going in the right direction.”

“Well, Doctor Wilson never told me about other types of doctors -- he only taught me how to treat people and save lives.  So that’s the kind of doctor I want to be... the one that helps people.”

“Well, that’s good, but if you want to know, there are all kinds of doctors.  Well, there were, because I don't think that some people care about that anymore.  But I think there’s a good example back in Jackson... I don't remember her name, but she is a psychiatrist or something like that.”

“Oh, you’re talking about Cynthia?  Yeah, she was the one that Maria and Tommy made me go to, after you left.  I don't like those kinds of doctors... it makes me feel weird, and doesn’t help me at all,” says Ellie, looking away from him.

Joel sees that she is getting a little sad, every time she thinks about that. Fuck, if it was hard for him to stay away from her for more than 2 years, it should’ve been even worse for Ellie.  “It’s okay, kiddo,” Joel finally says while he pulls Ellie’s head toward him, so she can look him in the eye.  “I never liked those ether, even though they can help people in some cases.  They don’t really know what is going on in some people's minds.”  Ellie smiles at him, and hugs him again. “So now that we're good, you can go back to the couch and finish your book.  I will prepare the hunting things for tomorrow, okay?”

“Oh, no, no… You’re not going to get out of this that easily!” says Ellie, pushing him toward the bed, and he ends up on his back there.

“Damn, girl, what did you do that for?... wait, you’re not thinking about having sex again, are you?  Because I think that we had enough of that last night, don't you think?” says Joel, trying to keep a serious expression.

Ellie’s face turns red quickly as she remembers what they did the night before.  “Jesus, Joel, do you think that that is the only thing I have on my mind?” Joel was going to say something, but Ellie talks first to stop him.  “Oh, don't answer that, or you’re going to be in real trouble.”    

“Yes, ma'am,” says Joel, smiling.

“Besides, I didn't hear any complaints from you, and I’ve never seen an old man come so hard.  So you enjoy that, too -- I think that you scared all the animals that were close to cabin,” she says with a little smile on her face.

Joel smiles back, then he moves up from the bed, grabs Ellie by the arms, and pulls her to the side of the bed.  Then he moves so he can be on top of her, pinning her so she can't move. “Hahaha, I think that that was you,” he says, laughing a little, then he speaks again.  “So you’ve seen other men like that before?”

Ellie looks at him, trying to sound serious. “Don't tell me that you’re going to be jealous about that?” Ellie says, trying to see Joel’s reaction to that.  She never got the impression that Joel felt jealous over her before.  It’s always her that feels some jealousy:  when a woman tries to hit on him, or when Tommy tries to find him a match or something.  “Oh, don't worry, you don't need to be jealous.  I’ve never seen an old man like that in all my life -- that would be gross.”  

“Oh, so you think that an old man naked is gross?  So I'm gross, too?” says Joel, smiling.

“I don't think that about you, you dummy!  You’re not that old, and you look great naked and sexy.”

“Ha,ha,ha, are you trying to seduce me now to change the subject?” asks Joel, still pinning her to the bed.

“Maybe... is it working?” she says with a sexy voice.

“No!... Well, maybe a little, but we’re not going to have sex today, okay, we’re going out to hunt tomorrow and we need a good rest.  So what other things can I do for you to make it up to you that have nothing to do with sex?” says Joel, releasing her from the hold he has on her, and moving away.  

“Okay, if you don’t go for that, then... ummmm... let me think, what else you can do for me… okay, what about a back rub?”

“That’s it?” asks Joel with disbelief that she only wants that.

“Yeah, that’s all, but I want a good one, not the one-minute massage you like to do.  I want a longer one, okay?” She moves to her side and grabs the pillow, then she lays on the bed with her back facing Joel.  She puts her head on the pillow, and relaxes her body. “Okay, I'm ready, but remember I want a good one.”   

“Okay, a long one it is.”  Then Joel moves close to her body and starts to pass his hands over her back; he starts slowly, moving his hands in circles on her back.  After a few minutes, Joel moves his hands and grabs Ellie’s shoulders, and starts to massage them.  He starts slowly and delicately, but then he squeezes them harder.  Ellie starts to moan at the sensation of Joel’s hands on her; even though it’s just a massage, she starts to feel aroused.  As Joel continues, he notices that Ellie isn't  wearing her bra... also, she’s wearing his shorts, the ones that he uses to sleep in sometimes.  Ellie has her eyes closed, moaning in pleasure, while Joel continues working on her.   

“Ohhhhh… Joel, this feels so good.  You have such magic hands, maybe I should ask you to do this more often,” says Ellie in a lower voice.

“Oh, yeah, then maybe I should ask you to give me one,” says Joel while he continues working on Ellie`s back.  

“Maybe I can, but I’m not the one who needs to be making up,” says Ellie while she opens her eyes and turns her head to look at him.  “Oh, and when you finish with my back, you can start with my legs and feet, too.”

Joel stops in that instant and looks at her with a serious expression.  “Hey, that wasn’t part of the deal?”

“Well, I'm altering the deal, so be grateful that I’m not altering it any further,” says Ellie, smiling.   Then she sees Joel moving off of the bed, so she turns around completely and looks at him.  “Hey, where are you going -- you're not finished yet!”    

“Sorry, princess, but I think that you're taking advantage of me -- besides, I still have things to do,” says Joel, then he starts to walk away.   

Ellie stands up quickly in bed and jumps on Joel back.  “Ahhh… c`mon, Joel, that’s not fair -- you owe me, remember,” says Ellie, moving her legs around Joel`s waist and her hands around his neck.

“Oh, you want to play now... umm.” Joel grabs her legs and starts to run inside the room, just as he did sometimes with Sarah.  Of course, Sarah was his daughter, and younger than Ellie, but playing like this, and hearing Ellie laughing, feels so good to him.  After a few minutes, he stops close to the bed, then he drops his hands from Ellie’s legs and grabs her arms from around his neck, dropping her down on the bed.  Ellie is laughing hard until she feels Joel getting on the bed and moving on top of her.  Her laughing slows as she sees Joel’s face close to hers. “Maybe we can stay in bed a little bit before continuing with our work here,” he says, then he kisses her on the lips.    

After he moves away from her lips, Ellie speaks. “Yeah... I’d like that.”  Then she moves her head toward Joel and kisses him back.  They continue with that for a while... they stay on the bed, relaxing all morning, making out from time to time, until it’s time to do their job for the day.

  
  



	24. In the Name of Science

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They firefly continue with the experiment, using the immune people. As they have now a new one, time is ruining out for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention. 
> 
> A/N: As I said before this story is going to move slow until I have internet at home. I will try to post on this one a soon I can, so thanks for you support.

**Chapter 23 : In the Name of Science**

  
  
  


***Meanwhile, in the Ex-Firefly base***

 

As the snow starts to melt at the Air base in South Dakota, the new group of ex-Fireflies, are preparing a raccoon patrol of the city that is close to the air base.  Walter’s group of now-ex-Fireflies have been in that base for less than a year.  And even though they search the city every week, clearing out the infected is not that easy.  As new infected come to the city every week, and some of them go inside the ruined buildings and stay there, it’s difficult for them to kill them all.  So Walter just orders his men to take care of only those that are close to base, and not waste any ammunition on clearing out the entire city.  When the group goes out of the base to get supplies, they just kill the ones that get close to them.

As soon as the sun comes up, a group of new recruits prepare to get some practice.  Walter orders one of his officers to take them out for that.  The Air base control tower that was once used to control the air traffic is now used for the base communications center.  They use the antenna there to keep contact with the patrol groups that go outside, and to keep track of old Firefly and military movement.  The man that is in charge of all the communication goes up into the tower to check if there is any news on the Firefly command.  Even though they’re not officially part of that group anymore, Walter still has some contacts inside them.  From time to time, they make contact with this man, to be aware of the situation with the main Firefly group. 

Inside the main room of the tower, a man enters the place with a cup of coffee in his hand, and even though it’s rare to find coffee these days, the scavenging group manages to find some in a town close by, a few months ago.

“Good morning, kid, do you have any news or messages for us today?” asks the officer as soon as he gets close to the young man working at the control panel. 

“Oh, good morning, sir.  No, sir!  I'm afraid that we haven't received anything this morning,” answers the young man.

“Are you sure that everything is okay with the communications?  Because we haven’t been receiving anything for the past few weeks.” 

“Well, sir, I was assigned here just 3 days ago, but everything looks fine.  We were having some problems with the antenna yesterday, but that got fixed last night, sir.”

“Okay then, just let me know as soon as you get something,” says the man while he takes a sip of his coffee and walks close to the big glass window in the room.   

“Yes, sir,” answers the young man as he continues with his work.  

The officer starts to look down at the field below, checking the surroundings of the base; he practically has a great view of the airfield, where the military planes used to land, back then.  He can also see the hangars that they use now for supplies storage and for housing the vehicles they have.  The officer puts his cup down when he sees some vehicles moving out of one of the hangars.  

“Hey, I see some movement down there -- is that Marlon’s new group?” asks the man while he’s still looking out the window.

“I think so, sir... he asks permission from Mr. Richard to get the new recruits out for some practice,” answers the young man. 

“Practice?  He can do that inside the base.  I just think that he’s using that as an excuse to go out and shoot something.  I need to talk to Walter and let him know that Marlon just likes to waste our ammo for nothing.  What the hell does he think, that ammunition comes from trees?” The man moves away from the windows and starts to walk toward the door, then stops and looks at the young man. “I’ll go to the main building to talk to Walter, so call me if you get any messages, okay?” 

“Yes, sir,” answers the young man while he continues checking for any communication. 

 

(Inside the main laboratory)

“Why is this taking so long, Doc, I thought you said that the new serum was going to be ready this week,” says Walter while passing in front of Dr. Owen.  

“No!  I told you that the first test is going to be ready in a month, and that was last week.  All this work takes time, especially when you continue killing my assistants.  Those are not easy to find these days, you know.”  

“Well, I don't like people that question my authority, and you’re lucky that I just killed one and not your entire group of incompetent people.  You`re walking on thin ice, Doc, and your lack of progress is getting us nowhere.  So let me know if you need me to make another example, so you and your people can work faster... doctor!” says Walter, hitting Owen`s desk with his fist and looking him in the eye.   

“Are you threatening me, after all the thing I’ve done for you?  Look, I know that we need this to work out, but doing this is not as easy as you think.  To make this right, we have to work slowly, and all that takes time.  I already told you that,” answers Owen.

Walter moves away from him and walks toward the door, then turns around to look at the doctor again.  “What about the new kid?  I thought that his immunity was good for your work.”

“The kid’s blood has been good, but the first test we did... didn't give us too much progress.  But using his blood is giving me some help in other things that we’re working on.”

“Well, that’s good to know, but we’re running out of time here.  We need the serum to win this war against our enemy.  That’s why you need to work faster, or all this will be for nothing,” says Walter while he turns and starts to look through the little window in Owen’s office.

“What about that woman?... ummm, what was her name?” says Owen while he tries to remember the name of the mercenary woman that came a few months ago and offered them the girl that they were looking for.

“You mean that Amber woman and her men?” answers Walter, turning around to look at him again.

“Yeah, that one.  Didn’t she say that she had some clue of where to find that old man that was with the girl?”

“Don't put too much hope in that, even though she said she knew that psycho that is protecting girl.  It’s been too long since we’ve seen her, and we haven’t received any news from her or her group,” says Walter.

“Well, that’s a shame, because I saw some of the tests the Fireflies did on that girl, back in Salt Lake City, and her immunity was unique.  If we can find her, her immunity is going to mean a great deal for our work here,” says the doctor, looking at some papers on his desk. 

“Well, you need to work with what you have, Doc.  Use the kid the best you can and give me some results soon.  My patience is not going to last forever, and even though you are the best scientist here, no one is irreplaceable,” says Walter before he opens the door and leaves Owen’s office.   

The doctor takes a breath and just stays sitting at his desk, looking at some papers.   _ Where are you, girl?  This work could be easier if I get my hands on you,  _ says Owen to himself. __

  
( One hour later )

Doctor Owen is walking to another building inside the base.  The building is smaller than the others in the base.  The air base isn’t big, but the ex-Fireflies’ group in there isn’t that big either, just 30 to 40 men in total.  Those are the men that followed Walter after the Fireflies decided that he was too much trouble for them, and decided to cancel Walter’s project.  So when he received the warning to stop his experiment -- that he wasn’t going to receive more resources for that -- he decided to go by himself and break from the Firefly group.  He took all that he could, and all the men that wanted to come with him.  After they found a new base to continue with the experiment, he ordered some of his men to go to any close camp that they could find, to get supplies and food. 

One group found a small community close to the city, and they started using them.  Not only for food; they took some of the citizens as new recruits to work for them.  After they killed a few men in there, the leader of the town had to make a deal with them so that they wouldn’t come back and start to kill more people in the town.  And in that town, they found the new immune kid.   

The doctor stops in front of the building where a man is guarding the entrance.  Owen tells the guard that he came to collect some blood samples from the guests they have in there.  The guards have specific orders from Walter to not let anyone enter the building other than Dr. Owen or himself.  Other personnel that need to do something in the building need a specific order from Walter or Owen.  The immune people are hard to find, so Walter wants to make sure that nothing happens to them.  

The guard makes a call on his radio to the man inside, and tells him that Doc Owen has come to take some samples.  When he finishes, he hangs up his radio and talks to the doctor. “Okay, sir, you can enter now,” says the guard, opening the door for him. 

“Okay, thanks… oh, one of my assistants is coming with the rest of the equipment we need. He’s a little late, so it’s good if you let him in when he arrives, okay?” says the doctor while he looks at the guard, then he enters the building.  

“Copy that, Doc,” answers the man before closing the door behind him.

_ Shit,  I don't know why Walter is so strict about all this.  I don't think that someone here is going to mess with the patients.  And these guards, they think that they are in the army -- the old Fireflies weren’t like this _ .  Owen is talking to himself while he walks toward the main room of the building.  He passes some little rooms on both sides of the corridor.  Some of those rooms are now used to store some of the things they use at the base, and some other supplies they found in the city.  After a few minutes, he arrives at a small hall with only one table, with another guard sitting there with a computer and yet another guard in front of a door.  Owen walks close to the table and looks at the man sitting there.  The one at the table is young, like 20 or something close to that, so he has to be one of the new recruits.  The one at the door is older, like 30 or more.  The boy at the table stands up and salutes, just like a soldier would do when a ranking officer enters the room; the doctor just rolls his eyes to express how annoying that is.   

“You don't have to do that, boy, I'm not a soldier, okay?  I just came here to take a blood sample from the kid.”

“Oh, sorry, sir, I’m just new here, and they told me that I need--” He is silenced by the doc immediately. 

“It’s okay, boy, just open the door and let me in.”

“Oh, sorry, sir, but I need to check that, because I don't have anyone registered here for today, and we have specific orders from--” the boy starts to explain, when he is stopped again by the doc.  

“Ha,ha... are you serious?  My name is Dr. Owen, and I'm in charge of all the medical things in here.  I don't need any appointment to see the patients,” says the doc, now more irritated. 

“Sorry, sir, but I got orders, and--” the young man starts again.

“I know that you got orders, boy, but those orders don’t apply to me.  So stop wasting my time and open the door, because you don't want Walter coming here and seeing all this.” 

“Yes, sir… sorry, sir!” says the boy nervously, then he indicates to the other guards to open the door.

“Thank you, and I hope that this doesn’t happen again, okay?  I can come in here whenever I want, and stop calling me sir -- I already told you that I'm not a soldier,” says the doc while he walks to the door.

“Sorry, sir… umm I mean… yes, doctor,” says the boy before he sits again at the little table.  

The other guard opens the door and leads the doc inside.  There is another corridor with 4 little rooms inside.  The place was used as a prison block back in the day to keep undisciplined soldiers locked up.  Both men walk toward one of the cell rooms until they stop at the one that has a number 4 on the door.  The room is completely sealed, so no one can see who is inside, and the door just has a small opening in the middle where the food and other things can be passed inside without opening the door.  The guard looks for the key to the room in his pocket, and when he finds it, he puts it in the keyhole of the door and starts to unlock it. 

“Here you go, doc.  Do you need any help in there?” asks the guard as soon as the door opens. 

“No, I think I can handle things from here, thanks.  Just leave the door unlocked and go back to your post.  I will call you if I need something, okay?”

The guard nods at him, then turns around and leaves the doctor in front of the room alone.  “Shit, I need to talk to Walter about this.  Even though some of the patients tried to escape before, this one is just a kid, so I don't know why he ordered this kind of security.”

Owen just takes a deep breath and enters the room, and closes the door behind him.  The room is small:  just a bed, a toilet, a sink, and a small table with some books on it.  It also has a little window with bars in one of the walls, but it’s a little high, so the boy can’t see outside.     

The kid is laying on the bed facing the wall; he looks like he is sleeping, but the doc knows that he’s just ignoring his presence there.  “Hello, Jonathan, how are you doing today, ummm?” says Owen, but doesn’t get any response from the kid, so he speaks again. “Ready to do some tests today?”

The boy opens his eyes, but doesn’t look at the doctor.  “Not really... I just want to see my dad today.”  The boy is 10 years old, black, with short black hair and brown eyes.  He also has a small scar on his forehead and a bite mark close to his neck.

“Oh, I see.  But you should know that it’s going to be a little difficult for him to come visit,” says Owen to the kid.

“Why?  You said the last time that I can see him!... So why can't I see him now?” asks the boy, turning himself around to look at the doctor.

“Yeah, I know I said that.  But your dad knows how important you are to finding a cure, so he is trying to help us out.  And right now, he just went outside with a group of us, looking for other people like you.  That’s going to take time,” says Owen, pulling up a chair that’s in there and sitting in front of the bed.

“You told me something like that before, and you promised that I was going to see him soon, and I haven’t seen him since we got here,” says the boy, sitting up on the bed now.

“I’m sorry about that, Jonathan, but we are really busy here, and finding a cure is important to all of us.  I will try to bring your dad to see you as soon as they come back, okay?” says Owen, trying to make the boy more comfortable. 

“Yeah, you said that the last time, too,” says the boy with a sad face.  “I don't know why you need to do all these tests and take so much blood from me.  I just want to see and talk to my dad… I miss him.” 

“I know this is hard for you, and I'm sorry for the way the soldiers have treated you two when they brought you here.  But don`t worry, you and your dad are going to be safe here, okay, and all the help that you and your dad are giving us… that is going to be rewarded in the future, when we save the world from this terrible virus,” explains the doc, trying to calm the boy a little.  

“I know that this thing inside of me is important to your work, but sometimes it’s so hard... and it  hurts.  And without my dad, I just feel so lonely here... I just want this to end soon,” says the boy, lowering his head. 

“Yeah, Jonathan, I understand.  I want this to end soon too, but sometimes it takes a long time, and we need to make some sacrifices to do good things for others,” he says, putting one hand on the kid’s shoulder.  “Okay, tell you what -- maybe I can send a message to your dad--” he stops when he hears some commotion outside the room. 

“What is that?” asks the boy, looking toward the door of the room.

“Shit!... Sorry, just wait a second until I check what’s going on out there, okay?” Owen stands up from the chair, walks toward the door, and leaves.

As soon as the doctor leaves the room and enters the hall again, he is yelling to the guard to let his assistant pass.   _ What is wrong with those guys?  I already told them to let my assistant in, so I don't see what the problem is now. _  When the guard lets the young man in, he walks toward the doctor and stops in front of him.    

“Sorry I'm late, Doc, but the guard outside wouldn't let me in.  And after that, those two were questioning me, too,” says the young assistant.

“It’s okay -- I need to talk to Walter about that.  It’s really starting to get annoying.  I don't want to deal with this every time we need to come in here.  Okay, let’s go inside and finish this.  We’ve already lost too much time for just a blood sample.”  The two men walk to the room where the kid is and go inside. 

“Okay, Jonathan, this isn’t going to take long.  I’m just going to take a blood sample today.”

Owen stays close to the door while his assistant puts the things he needs on the table and starts to prepare the needle. 

“Why do you take so much blood from me?  And those other things that you injected me with sometimes hurt for days,” says the kid, a little scared when he looks at the needle.

“Sorry for that, but we need to take some samples of your blood at least twice a week.  That way, we can check the progress on what we injected in you.  It’s a complicated thing, but we need to use the thing that makes you immune, and do some other tests to try to find a cure for the virus,” the doc starts to explain a little to the boy so he doesn’t get too scared of that.

“I just wish that my dad was here and-- ow,” the kid yanks away a little when he feels the needle penetrate his skin. 

The assistant starts to extract the blood from the boy while the kid shuts his eyes from the little pain he feels in his arm.  “How many are we going to take today?” asks the young assistant.

“Just take two... that’s going to be enough for now,” says the doctor.

The boy opens his eyes and looks at the doctor.  “What about my dad?  Can you send him a message and ask him when he’s coming back?”   

“Of course, I can do that for you.  I’ll send you a notepad and a pencil so you can write the message.  I’ll make sure that your dad gets it as soon as possible, okay?” says the doctor.

After a few minutes, the other man finishes with the blood extraction.  “Okay, Doc, I’m done here,” says the assistant while he pulls the needle out from the boy and puts a small cloth on the kid’s arm where he inserted the needle.  The boy starts to feel a little weak, so the doctor tells him to lay down on the bed and rest a little.  The young boy does as he’s told; on the bed, he starts to look at his arms, and he sees a few bruises he has on each of them.  

“Okay then, I’ll take the blood sample back to the laboratory.  So you stay here with the kid until the man with the lunch and the notepad comes here.  After the boy writes the note, bring that to me, okay?” says Owen to his assistant in a lower voice. 

“Yes, Doctor, but what about the guards?” asks the young man.  “I don't want any problems with them again.”

“Don't worry about that -- I’ll make sure that they don’t bother you here, okay?” answers Owen.

  
( half an hour later )

Owen gets back to his laboratory with the blood samples he took from the kid.  As soon as he enters the main room, he sees that all the lab tables are empty, except for one.  He starts to walk into the room, wondering where the other assistants that work with him went to at this hour. Then he gets close to the only person there.

“Where are the others?  I don't remember giving them the day free?” he asks the woman working at her lab station.

“They just went out for lunch.  They’ll be back in an hour,” answers the woman without looking at him.  

“Fuck!  Don’t those assholes know that we’re working against the clock here?” says Owen, furious.

“Don't tell me!... he asked for his dad again, right?” asks the woman, looking at him now. 

“How did you know that?” asks the doctor.

“Ha -- that is one of the things that can piss you off,” answers the woman.

“Yeah, and that’s getting real annoying -- I don't know what more to say to him.  And those new guards that Walter put in there weren’t much help either,” says Owen, now standing behind her.

“Well, what do you expect?  He’s just a boy that needs his father, and what we’re doing to him must be hard for a kid that young.  Maybe if he just has some company, or at least gets out of that room from time to time, maybe he will feel better,” says the woman, feeling a little sorry for the kid.

“He is 10, and you know what we’re doing here is important, so that’s not going to happen.” 

“Yeah, I know, but maybe you can talk to--”

“Just stop with that -- I don't need this from you too, okay?”  He moves closer to her and gives her the blood sample.  “Here, just take this and make sure that the others work on that as soon as they come back here.” 

The woman grabs the tube with the blood and puts it on the table, then looks at the doctor again.  “How long do you think the boy is going to buy that story?  Sooner or later he’s going to demand to see his dad, and what then?  He won’t cooperate as soon as he knows that his father isn’t coming back.  So what are you going to do then?” 

“That doesn't matter -- I I’ll try to think of something when that time comes.  But you know that we have to get what we need from him before that happens,” says Owen while he walks toward his little office near the room.

The woman looks at him while he walks toward his office.  After a few moments, she stands up from her chair and follows him.  When she arrives at the door, he’s already sitting at his desk, so she just stays in the door frame, waiting to speak.  “What happened to us?” asks the woman, looking at him.

Owen looks at her with a little surprise on his face.  “What do you mean?”

“We’re doctors, Owen -- we’re supposed to help people, not hurt them.  We shouldn’t be doing this to those people... this is wrong,” says the woman, shaking her head. 

“Oh… please, Martha, don't start with that again.  We’re going to help a lot of people if we find a cure and end all this.  Yes, we’re doctors, but we are scientists too, and we have work to do.  And if this works, we can save a lot of lives... do you understand that?”

“The cure?... are you serious?  We’re not even working on that anymore, and look at you.  Do you think that by creating this serum, we’re going to help people?  Trying to control the infected is not going to solve the world’s problems.  And you know that Walter is going to use this as a weapon for his personal vendetta, and not to help people,” says Martha, still standing at the door.  

“Jesus, Martha, we’re going to find a cure, but right now, we need resources and time, and we don't have much of either.  Even though we separated from the Fireflies, the military still looks for us, and they’re not going to stop until we are all dead.  I don't like do this too much, but Walter is going to use this to solve our problem,” says Owen, putting his hands together and looking at her.

“Oh please, do you really believe all that?  He’s just using us to get what he wants.  Hurting those people and killing them is not going to solve anything,” she says in a louder voice.  Owen stands up from the chair quickly, walks toward the woman, and grabs her by the arm.  He pulls her inside the office and closes the door.

“Are you insane?... you should not be talking like that.  If someone heard you saying all those things, you could be in serious trouble, okay?” says Owen, a little nervous.

“Why?... because you think that I’m going to end up like Mike?”  She looks at him as he opens his eyes wider.  “Oh, don't give me that look -- do you think that I don't know what happened to him after he questioned him last time?” she answers. 

“I don't know what you’re talking about.  Besides, we are doing this in the name of science, and when we finish this, we can make this world a better place.”

“Shit, Owen, what’s happened to you?  You know he’s crazy... he’s just obsessed with what happened to Marlene.  He doesn't care about the cure, or anyone else... he is just using you, and when he doesn't need us anymore, you know what is going to happen.”

“Fuck, Martha, you really are looking for trouble, aren’t you?” Owen shakes his head and moves away from her.  She looks at him as he goes back to his desk to sit down and start to look at some papers.

“I just want to do what is fair for everyone.  I'm a doctor, not a butcher, and what we’re doing to those immune people is wrong.  They can help us find a cure --  _ they _ are the key to our survival, not this crazy experiment.  Look what we’re doing to that poor kid... he’s only 10 and we’re treating him like he’s just a lab rat.” 

“This is just a start, Martha, can’t you understand that?  Finding a cure is going to take time and some sacrifice -- you know that.  How do you think that all the medicine and vaccines were found in the past?  But if this works, it’s a start to find a solution to the virus problem, and gives us more time to find a more permanent solution.”  

“Jesus, he really got to you, umm.  I thought that he was just pressuring you to do all this... that you didn’t have another choice.  But I can see now that you really think that by doing this, you’re going to save the world.”  Martha just shakes her head, feeling sad for her friend.  She can't believe that after all the time they’ve been working together to find a cure, it all ends like this. 

“This is what we need to do to save lives, so why don’t you stop all this talk and go back to work?  I need those samples prepared today, and I don't want to waste more time,” says Owen, looking at the woman for the last time before he goes back to his work.

“Yeah… I better go back to my work.  I just wish that we could go back to the beginning, when our work meant something.  I just wanted to tell you that all this is not going to end well... look what happened to Marlene.  He’s taking the same path as her, but worse, and he’s going to take us down with him.”  Martha keeps her head down, not wanting to look at him anymore, at least not for today.  So she turns around and walks toward the door.  She grabs the knob and is about to open it when she hears him saying her name.  

“Martha!” he says in a lower and calm voice.  “I need you to trust me on this, okay?  You`re the only one that can really help me do this.  I know that some of the things we’re doing are wrong, but if we want to save a lot of people, we need to do this.  I promise you that we’re going to find a cure, and in the end, we’re going to make all this worth it, okay?” he says, hoping she will understand.

“Fine… I’ll just go to my desk and work on those samples you brought, and wait for the others to come back.”  Then she opens the door and leaves the room. 

“Thank you, Martha… everything is going to be fine in the end… I promise.”  After she leaves the room, he starts to think:   _ Yeah, we’re going to save the world, and maybe this will be easier if we find Marlene’s girl. _

 


	25. Always a way out Part-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Joel and Ellie to make they preparation to go back to Jackson, but always is something out there.

**Chapter 24 : Always a way out Part-1**

  
  


***A few days later at the cabin***

  
  


Joel and Ellie are in the forest, looking to hunt something for the trip.  They’ve been trying that for 2 days without any luck, just to be able to kill a few rabbits and birds (nothing big) that can be used for the travel back to Jackson.  So today, they are out there to try again; although there’s not much snow now, finding a big animal has been hard for them.

“Joel, do you think we could find something big here?  We already checked the traps and there was nothing in them,” says Ellie while walking behind him in the forest.  First, they checked the traps that they laid a few days ago, to see if they caught anything.  But since they didn’t get anything in them, they went farther into the forest to see if they can hunt something there.  They are now walking toward a little hill that passes the hot water lake.

“I don't know... maybe we can find a deer or a wolf, something big enough to get some extra meat for us,” says Joel, looking around the terrain and trying to find clues for any animals that might be close by.

“A wolf, are you kidding me?... Aren’t those like dogs, or something?” asks Ellie with a disgusted expression.

“What!  Don’t you like to eat those?... They may look like dogs, but they are wild animals.  And I don't know why you’re making that face -- you’ve already eaten them,” says Joel, looking at her, shocked.

“No I haven't!... I’ve never hunted one of those before.  And I don't remember you doing that either,” Ellie protests.

“Ha,ha,ha,” Joel laughs a little at the comment.  “Well, that may be true, but I can assure you that you’ve eaten them.  Because I know for a fact that some of the Jackson hunting group hunted some of them, and brought them for the big dinners in town that my brother and Maria do sometimes.”

“You’re such a liar -- they didn't do that.  I saw some of the animals they hunted, and I never saw any one of them that looked like a dog…” Ellie lowers her head and looks now to the ground.  “I like dogs, and I don't want to think about eating them.  One of the soldiers back in Boston had one... it was so nice and fun, so that’s why I’m never going to eat one.”

“Well, I can’t speak for the past, but I will try not to hunt one in the future.  But sometimes we have to either eat whatever we can find or die -- that’s just survival,” says Joel, moving away to check some bushes.

“Hey, speaking of dogs, maybe we can--”   

Joel looks at her and speaks before she can say anything else.  “No!... don’t even think about it.”

“Why not?  Maybe we can find a little one on the road, and take it to Jackson with us and--”

“Sorry, kiddo, but no dogs in the house.  And don't start making that puppy face of yours, because it’s not going to work this time,” says Joel firmly.  

“Ohhhh, c`mon... Having a little dog isn’t going to be so bad... besides, he can be a little help and maybe--”

“Ssshhh… I think I hear something,” Joel puts one finger on his lips while he looks at Ellie.  Then he starts to walk slowly in the direction of the sound.  He takes out the bow and arrow, and continues to see if he can kill whatever animal is making the sound.  After a few moments, he sees what it is: a little wild hog.  Not too big, but enough to give them a good portion of meat for a few days, or maybe more. “Okay, that’s perfect for what we need, but those little bastards run like hell.  So we need to play this right,” says Joel to Ellie while he gets behind a tree to hide from the animal.

But Ellie has other plans besides waiting for Joel to do this the right way.  “I call dibs on it,” says Ellie, moving away from Joel.

“Ellie!... Ellie!... shit, what the hell are you doing?” whispers Joel to her, while Ellie moves to the opposite side.  

Joel moves a little away from the tree to try to aim at the animal, but the little fucker was too far away to get a good shot, so he needs to move.   _Maybe I can use my knife to kill it if I get close enough.  But doing that is going to be hard now if Ellie scares him away, which she is going to do anyway,_ says Joel to himself while he starts to move closer.  A few minutes later, he hears Ellie screaming; he thought that she was being chasing by an infected or a bigger animal, but then he sees her chasing the little pig up the hill.  He doesn't know if he should laugh or be furious at that.       

_Shit!... there goes our meat -- as I feared, she’s scaring it away, and now I need to find something else to hunt,_ Joel says to himself while he still hears Ellie in the distance, cursing and insulting the little pig while she tries to catch it.

A moment later, he starts to walk in the opposite direction and tries to see if he can find another animal.  He moves between some trees and bushes, but has no luck, and after 20 minutes, he hears something... like someone walking toward him.  He quickly takes out his knife, just in case he needs it, but when he moves out from behind a tree, he sees that it’s Ellie.  But he is surprised when he sees what she has on her shoulder:  she is carrying the little wild hog.  Joel doesn't know how she caught and killed that thing, but he’s glad for it.    

“See!... I told you that I’m the best,” says Ellie, smiling.  

“Damn, girl!... how did you catch that?  Those little things are fast and dangerous,” says Joel while he walks close to her.

“Well, they may be fast, but I'm faster.  So now you can say that I’m the best hunter this world can give… Woohoo!!!” Ellie drops the animal to the ground and starts a little victory dance.

Joel is surprised at how she did that, but glad to see her happy.  He tries to hold in a laugh when he sees her jumping and dancing like a little girl.  “Yeah, yeah… don't get cocky.  I think that you just got lucky.”    

“Oh… you just said that because you know I'm the best hunter and you don't want to admit it,” says Ellie while she is picking up the dead animal and putting it on her shoulder again.  

“Yeah, whatever.  Let's go -- it’s midday and it’s a long walk back to the cabin.  And I want that thing ready to cook for tonight,” says Joel, walking in the direction of the cabin.

They walk a little more than an hour before they get close to the cabin.  It’s not much of a walk, but Joel feels like they walked all day.  Ellie brags about the kill and how good she is now, all the way back.  She tries to make Joel admit that she is better than him, but Joel tells her that it’s not a competition.  They’re like 10 minutes away from the cabin when they hear an explosion in the distance.    

“What the hell was that?” asks Joel, stopping close to a big tree.  “That sounded like an explosion or something!”

Ellie moves quickly and gets close to him.  “Fuck!  I think that that was one of the boobytraps I put on the trail that leads to the cabin, after we killed that woman and her men,” she says, looking at Joel.

“Yeah, you told me about that, but that means that we have an intruder that must’ve activated one,” says Joel with a worried expression.  

“Do you think that it could be an animal or something?” asks Ellie.

“I don't think so.  And if someone’s out there, those explosives ain’t going to hold them for long.  So it’s better to get back to the cabin before they get up there,” says Joel, looking at her.

“What about the pig?”  

“Leave it -- we can come back here later and pick it up.  Right now, we need to deal with whoever is trying to get to the cabin, so we need to run,”  says Joel, moving away.

Both of them run as fast as they can and arrive at the cabin in a short time.  Lucky for them, the intruders are not there yet, so the boobytrap must have delayed them.  

After they enter the cabin and secure the door, Joel orders Ellie to go upstairs and get the rifle.  “Get back down as soon as you do -- I’ll get the guns from the basement,” says Joel while he goes to the door that leads down there.  Ellie goes to the room on the second floor and gets the rifle from the closet.  She also takes the only box of bullets they have for that rifle.  Joel has a lot of bullets for the other guns, but not much for this one; that is why they use favor the bow and arrow for hunting.

A few minutes later, Joel comes out from the basement with his shotgun and some other small weapons.  When he gets to the living room, Ellie is there loading the rifle, so he puts the guns on the table.

“How many traps did you put out there?” Joel asks while he moves toward the window to look outside.  

“I’m not sure, but I think that I put three.  But if they tripped the first one, the other two should’ve gone off by now,” Ellie says while she continues with the guns.  “Do you think they saw the other ones?”

“Maybe, but at least that gives us time to be prepare.  After you finish with that, go upstairs and check if you can get a good position to shoot.”

“I don't think we have one, unless they come from the back, because the side window doesn’t have a view of the front,” answers Ellie, looking at him.  “Do you think that they could be hunters, or bandits?”

“I’ve never seen any hunters or other people here on this mountain, so that means they have to be the rest of Amber’s men.”

“Well, if you think that they are that woman’s men, why don’t we just take what we can and go?”

“Because if they are, we’re not going to get far.  I know these men, remember.  I worked with them, and some of them are really good at this.  So it’s better for us to play this the right way,” says Joel while he steps away from the window and gets close to Ellie.

“How many do you think there are?” Ellie asks, a little worried now.

“I’m not sure of that... the general had several groups... they could be from 6 to 12.  But if Amber was making deals with the Fireflies, it’s possible that she didn’t come with an ordinary group.  So I don't know exactly how many came with her.  But she came here with 6 men, and not the good ones... I can assume there may be 6 more.  Of course, that’s if she divided her men in two then, like they always do.”  

“Well, that’s good news... we’ve fought more hunters than that, so--”   

“Sorry, kiddo, but these men ain’t  like hunters -- they’re ex-military, so they are more professional.  They may not have the equipment that the military had back in the day, but they have tactics, and better weapons.  So if we want to get out of here alive, we need to outsmart them... and that is not going to be easy.”   

“Okay!  But you killed some of them before I got here, and it wasn’t too difficult for me to kill the rest.”

“Yeah, I know, but the ones that came with her were just the regular ones.  They’re not good… they just use them for testing the enemy.  But if Matt came with her and these were his men, we’re going to have serious trouble.”     

“So what are we going to do?  You said that we can’t go now, and fighting them is going to be hard.  So what do we do?” asks Ellie while she finishes with the guns.

“Well, lucky for you, they don't know you’re here.  I killed Amber before she sent any communication out, so--”  

“Oh, no, no, no… don't even think about it.  I’m not going out and leaving you here alone to fight those men,” Ellie protests quickly.

“Ellie, they don't know you’re here, and if Amber was asking me how to find you… they’re probably looking for you too, and if they see you here, they’re going to take you to the Fireflies.  Amber never called them back, so that means that they don't know that she saw you here.  Or maybe she made the deal before they got separated... that could be one of the reasons why they took so long to get here.  Also, after the storms hit here, it was almost impossible to get up here.  Besides, this is my problem, and after all the things I did to protect you, I can’t let them take you.”  Joel starts to move away, but Ellie grabs him by the arm and stops him.

“Joel, if they are looking for me too, this is our fight, not yours alone.  And if this is going to be the end of the road, I prefer to be with you.  I’m not going to let you do this alone, no matter what you said.  You promised me that you’d never leave me again, so I’m not going anywhere without you.”

“Ellie, you don't understand… these people are--”

“I don't care.  Yeah, you said that they have better training, but we have more brains.  Let’s show them that it’s going to be a mistake to mess with us,” says Ellie with confidence.  

“Shit, girl!  What happened to you?  And where is the little innocent girl I left in Jackson?”

“Well, she is in front of you... she just grew up, and ended up a little like you,” says Ellie, moving close to him and hugging him tight.  Joel moves his hand and hugs her back.  He loves her so much and he’s never going to let her go again, no matter what.  But all this is scaring him, not just for what could happen to her, but also for what she is becoming from all this.  He doesn't know how many people she had to kill to survive this trip... also, all the ones they may have to kill to get back to Jackson.  All he wanted was a normal life for her, but in this world, that is almost impossible.   _So think, Joel, think... you need to get her out of this one, or everything you did is going to be in vain._

“Joel lets go of her and looks in her eyes.  “Okay, we still have a little time before they get here, so go upstairs and pack all you can.”

“Joel, I already told you that I’m not--”

Joel grabs her by they arm and looks at her firmly.  “It’s okay, kiddo, we’re going to get out of here together, but I need to do some things first.  So go up and pack, and when you finish, come back down, okay?”

Ellie looks at him, trying to see what he is planning to do.  “Joel, we’re not going to have much time to pack all the things we need.”

“I know, baby.  I was hoping to be out of here before this happened, but it’s too late now.  So just pack the essentials, all the food you can, some clothes, and all the bullets we have.  We’re definitely going to need those.  As soon as you finish, bring the backpack to the kitchen, okay?  I need to take something out of the basement.”    

“Joel, what are you going to do?”

“Don't worry -- I have some things that are going to help us get out of here... now go.”  

Ellie does what Joel told her, and goes upstairs.  After 20 minutes, she comes back to the living room with their bag almost full.  Then she sees Joel working with something on a chair, in the living room.

“Hey, I think I saw some movement in the back of the cabin,” says Ellie, walking close to Joel and putting the bag on the floor.  “What is that?”

Joel uses a sheet to cover the thing he was working with.  “It’s a little surprise for our guest, don't worry.”

“Really!... That’s cool -- what is it?  Looks like a dummy sitting in a chair... can I see it?” Ellie tries to pull the cover off, but Joel grabs her hand before she gets the chance.  

“Don`t!... It’s something for them, in case they get in here.  Just go to the kitchen and grab all the food you can, and prepare your gun, just in case.   

“Okay, but what about the back?  I think some of them... maybe they’ll try to get inside, through the back.”

“Never mind them -- they’re not going to do anything yet.  But the ones at the front... we need to keep an eye on those.  They’ll try to hide in some of the trees out front,” says Joel, moving to look through the front window.  He can see some movement there... the trees are a little far from the front of the cabin, but there is a good clear spot in between.  So if they try to get in that way, Joel could see them.

“If they’re already here, why haven’t they tried to enter?  It’s not like this cabin is well-sealed.  We have windows on the side and the front--”  

“Like I told you, they are ex-military, so it’s probably that they’re looking for a weak spot to get inside.  They don't know if I'm alone here or not… also, one of your bombs got them, so they don't know if there’s more.”  

“Well, that’s a good thing… right?” says Ellie from the kitchen.  “Are we going to fight them, then?  I mean, if they don’t try to get inside, we need to get out.”

“No!  If my plan works, we ain’t going to need to fight them at all.  Just do what I tell you, and we’ll be fine,” says Joel, still looking out the window, knowing that they’re trying to look inside.   

“Okay, but if they are surrounding the cabin, how are we going to get out of here?” Ellie starts to get nervous, not knowing what Joel is going to do.  It’s not like she doesn’t trust him, but she would feel better if she knows what the plan is.  Ellie finishes filling their backpack in the kitchen.  She starts to walk out and enter the living room again.  Lucky for them, Joel put some curtains on the windows -- curtains he found in the basement before Ellie found him there.  

“Just wait and see -- now get the back packs and go to the basement and wait for me there.”

“Joel, I already told you that I--” Ellie is going to protest again.

“Just go, Ellie.  Don’t worry, I’m not going to fight them, just do as I say, okay!”  

“HEY… HUNTER!” a man yells from outside.  

“Here we go,” Joel whispers to himself.

  
  
  
  



	26. Always a way out Part-2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joel and Ellie try to find away to get out of the situation, they are now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are my invention. 
> 
> A/N: Ok first I want to thanks everyone that is follow and reading this story. I hope that you are enjoy it, if not sorry that I can't do a better job for that. But you are all are welcome to put that in a review. Now I still without internet at home, so this is getting hard to work on, but as I finish with my other story for now, I can work more on this one. I will try to post now every 2 week, but can't promise anything, but a soon I get the internet back and can work more faster on the story. I come back to post every Monday again, a soon I can. All review are welcome, but not insulting one please, :) so thank you for read my story, and I will try to work more faster on this.

**Chapter 25 : Always a way out Part-2**

  
  
  


“Hey, Hunter!... we know you’re in there, so why don’t you make this easy for yourself and surrender,” says one of the men outside.

“Is that the man you were talking about?” asks Ellie from behind him, with a low voice.

“Yep… that’s Matt,” says Joel, then he turns around and looks at her.  “What the hell are you still doing up here?  I told you to go to the basement and wait for me,” says Joel with a serious expression.

“But I just--” Ellie tries to talk when the man outside speaks again.

“C`mon, Hunter, the boss only wants to talk to you.  So it’s better for all of us if we can do this without a fight,” says Matt, trying to convince Joel to come out.

“Yeah, I bet you would like that, but what boss are you talking… the General?  Or the Firefly one?” Joel yells back from inside the cabin.

“I don't know what you’re talking about, Hunter,” answers Matt, then he turns his head to look at the man beside him.

“How does he know about that?” whispers the other man

“The only way he can know that is if Amber were here first,” answers Matt.

“Well, if she was here before us, where is she?  And why is he still here... or alive?” asks the man.

“I don't know, but if he has her there, that changes things.  Call the others back and tell them to wait for my orders, okay?”

“Yes, sir,” says the man and moves away.

“Oh, c’mon, Matt, you want to play like that?  I thought you were more intelligent.  I know all about the deal you all made with those Fireflies.  The general should be so proud of all of you.”    

“I still don't know what you’re talking--”

“Yeah, right... Well, that’s too bad, because the last time I asked her, Amber was talking all… ummmm… not too nicely, I think.”   

“Joel, what are you doing?... Do you want to piss them off?” asks Ellie, surprised.

“A little.  I’m just trying to buy some time.  They’re not going to come inside here shooting, if they think she is in here.  Now go down there and wait for me, okay?”

“I’m not going down there without you, okay?”

“Fuck!  Ellie, why do you never do what I tell you?” asks Joel, looking through the window again

“Because if I did, you’d be dead by now,” answers Ellie, smiling.

Joel looks at her, on that comment.  Remembering the time he told her to wait for him in that hotel 4 years ago, the first time she shot a man, and saved his life.  “Okay, just put the back pack close to the basement door, and stay out of sight,” Joel tells her while he starts to look out the window again.

“You’re playing a dangerous game… Hunter!  The general wants you alive, but if you did something to Amber, nothing in this world is going to save you from a painful death,” says Matt.

Joel watches for any movement in the trees across from the cabin, but since he doesn't see any, he’s sure that they think Amber is alive in the cabin.  That’s good, because now he can continue with the plan.  “Well, that‘s going to depend on you now.  If you and your men get away from here, and give me time to go, you can take her back.” Now Joel needs to wait for the next move, but at least that’s going to give him and Ellie more time to escape.  

The leader of the group moves aside to study the situation.  He talks with the man watching the cabin to see if he can see anything inside there.  But the soldiers inform him that the place is well-covered, and without thermal goggles, it’s impossible to see inside.  He has his men in position, and Hunter is just one man.  But he knows what he is capable of, and if he’s telling the truth about Amber, he can’t risk her life by entering the place by force.  So he needs to play his game for now.  “Okay, Hunter, if you have her, let's make a deal.  But I need proof that Amber is really alive and in a good health.  Because right now, I don't believe that she’s in there.”   

Ellie moves a little closer to Joel.  “That was your plan?  Make them think that… that dummy was her?” Ellie says in a lower voice.

“Yeah, that was part of the plan... they’re not going to rush in here if they think I have her as a hostage.  But since you didn't do what I told you to do, you’re going to help me with that,” says Joel while he moves away from the window.

Joel moves with Ellie to the kitchen and starts to look for things that can help him to make Ellie  look like Amber.  “Okay, you need to let your hair down, and put this on,” says Joel, giving her some rags.

“Are you crazy!... they’re not going to believe that I'm her!... I don't even want to look like her.”

“The cabin is too dark for them to see clearly -- they only need to see a woman figure, don't worry.  And you’re nothing like her, okay.”

“I just… do you think I look like a woman now… really?” says Ellie with a surprised expression.

“Well… we can talk about that later, now hurry.  We don't have much time for this.”  Then Joel takes some rope and ties Ellie arms behind her back and covers her mouth with a rag.  After he finishes, he moves Ellie close to the window, making sure that they can see her well.  “Hey, here is your proof, Matt!” Joel moves Ellie a little so they can see that it’s a live person.  “See, she’s still alive, but if you or your men come any closer to the cabin, she’s the first one to die.”

“You call that proof?  We can’t see her clearly, we need to be sure that--”

“Well, that is the only proof you're going to have.  Besides, if you don't believe me and try to enter here by force, I have this whole place completely surrounded with some explosives, just in case,” says Joel as he moves Ellie away from the window.

“Can you confirm if that woman inside there was Amber?” Matt asks one of his men.

“I couldn’t see her that much, it’s too dark inside to see clearly.  It was a woman, so it’s possible it was her, but I can't be sure of that,” answers the man.

“That’s great.  What about the explosives?... Do you think that he wired the whole place?”

“I don't know, but I doubt it...  that’s something we can check in the meantime.  How long do you think he’s had her there, if that woman there was her?”  

“I don't know, it’s been several months… since the last time we made contact with her.  And that fucking storm didn't help much.  So that could be some trick of his, or he has someone else in there, and now we don't know how many there might be.”   

“If he does have more people there, that could explain how he got Amber, and probably killed her men.”

“Yeah, and that can be bad news for us... Okay, we need to make a new plan to get him out or to get in without killing him or Amber, if that was her,” says Matt.

“Well, we have some smoke grenades and flash bombs... we can use that to get in.  Also, we can wait until night.  We have night vision goggles, so that’s going to give us some advantage.”

“Yeah, that could work, but we need to make sure that he doesn't kill Amber, if she is in there.”  The man turns on his radio and starts calling to the man behind the cabin. “Johnson… Johnson… do you copy?… over!”

After a minute, someone answers from the other side.   _“Yes, sir, I'm here…grrrr… we’re in position, sir, what is the order?... grrrr… Over!”_

“Hold your position, for the moment… grrr… It’s a possibility that Hunter has Amber in there as hostage… grrr… So the situation got a little complicated… grrr… over!”  

_“….grrr… okay, sir, what are we going to do now?... grrr… over!”_

“I’ll try to think of something, but for now, we wait… grrr… it’s going to be better for us if we move in after nightfall… grrr… That way, we can use our night vision goggles and have the advantage… grrr… Over!”

_“What about Amber, sir?... grrr… over!”_

“If she is really in there, he’s not going to do anything to her -- that’s the only thing that’s going to keep him alive… grrr… He might be using the time to try to get out of the cabin… grrr… do you see any way out in the back?... over!”

_“Grrrr… no, sir, there’s no door at the back, just a small window on the second floor, sir… over!”_

“Okay, just keep an eye on the back, and if he tries to get out that way, shoot him, but don’t kill him, okay, we need him alive… Over!”

_“Copy that, sir, we’re going to keep an eye on the window from the second floor… over!”_

“Okay, great, call back if you see anything…grrr... over and out!” says Matt before turning off the radio.

“So what is the plan, sir?” asks one of his men.  

“Like I said, we wait until dark.  We’re going to have the advantage that way. The cabin doesn’t have a back door, so he -- or they -- are trapped there.  So the only entrance is going to be the front one, but I’m pretty sure that he has something waiting for us,” says the leader as he moves to sit behind a tree with his gun to wait.  

“What are they doing? You think that they bought all that?” asks Ellie, taking off all the things Joel put on her..

“I don't know... Matt is hard to predict, but at least they’re going to think twice about coming in here,” says Joel, moving away from the window.

“Okay!... so what now?  How are we going to get out without being seen?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that -- by the time they decide to get in here, we’ll be gone.”

“And how are we going to do that?” asks Ellie, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Ha -- just grab your backpack and follow me.” Joel grabs his bag and walks toward the door of the basement.

“Joel!... where are you going?  If we go to the basement, we’re going to be trapped there.  If we’re down there when they enter here, they’re going to catch us.”

“I told you I have a plan, remember?” says Joel while he opens the door to the basement.

“Yeah, but--”

“Do you trust me?” asks Joel, looking at her now.

“Yeah, but this doesn’t make any sense,” says Ellie, getting close to him now.

“Okay, so if you trust me, be sure that there’s always a way out.  I told you that we’re going to get out of this place without a fight.  So c`mon and follow me -- I will show you our way out.”

Joel and Ellie grab all the things they can: the guns, the bags, the canteen with water.  Joel closes the basement door behind him as both of them go down the stairs.  As soon as they get to the bottom, Joel walks toward the secret door that leads to the inside garden, and opens it.  

“Joel, why are we going to the secret garden room?” asks Ellie while she continues following him.  “There’s nothing in there that can help us.”

Joel continues walking until he passes the vegetable growing tables, and stops beside the electric machine, where some boxes are.  He starts to move them, and after he moves the last one, a wooden door can be seen now on the floor.  “Help me with this, will you?” asks Joel, now looking at Ellie.

“What’s this?” asks Ellie, kneeling down and starting to help him open it.

“Our way out!” answers Joel quickly, then he turns his flashlight on and starts to look inside the hole.

“Is that a tunnel?” asks Ellie, surprised.

“Yep!... I found it when I started to repair the garden tables, and fixed the generator,” says Joel, starting to go down the ladder.  “Pass me the backpack and the guns, will you?”

Ellie starts to pass the bag to Joel.  The way down isn’t too far, so Ellie just needs to drop the things so Joel can catch them below.  “Why didn't you tell me that you had a tunnel in the basement?  It would’ve taken most of my worries away.”  When Ellie finishes passing all their things, she starts to go down, too.  Joel tells her to close the door and lock it.  Ellie turns on her flashlight and starts to look at the tunnel.  They can stand up in the part of the hole where the ladder is, but to get out of there, there is a small tunnel where they need to drop to their knees to enter.       

“Joel?... don't you think that they’re going to find the tunnel as soon as they enter the basement looking for us?” asks Ellie while she grabs her things.

“Yeah, that’s one of the reasons I didn’t come down here before... and trying to gain some time.”  

“Oh... so that’s why you want them to think that you have that woman here, so that way, they don’t get in here so quick.”

“Yeah, by the time they find that we’re gone, it’s going to be too late for them… now let's go,” says Joel while he gets down on his knees and enters the small tunnel.  Ellie does the same and starts to follow him.  The tunnel is pitch black, but since it isn’t very big, the flashlight can illuminate the way forward, so they can see where they’re going.

“How long is the tunnel?” asks Ellie after a little while.

“I ain’t sure... maybe a mile or something.  I just checked it once after I found it.”

“Oh… okay.  So why you didn't you tell me about this before?”

“I didn’t think we were going to need it.  I thought that by the time Amber`s men got here, we’d be gone.”

“But why not use this as soon as we arrived at the cabin?  We could make them think that the cabin was abandoned.”  

“Because that way, they’d just come in and start looking for us.  They’d probably find the tunnel before we had time to get far away, and follow us.  That wouldn’t be good for us... they would’ve found us faster, and captured us.  So it was better to make them wait until night, so that way, we had more time to get as far away from the cabin as possible,” Joel explains.

After one hour of crawling in the tunnel, Joel and Ellie get out on the other side.  The exit of the tunnel is covered with some tree branches.  As soon as they are out of the tunnel, it is night already.  Joel and Ellie move away and sit down beside a tree to get some fresh air.

“Fuck!... that smelled like shit; if we stayed there for much longer, those men wouldn't need to hunt us down,” says Ellie while she puts one hand on her chest and breathes some fresh air.   

“Oh, yeah… I forgot to mention that the owner of the cabin might have used that tunnel to clean out the basement.”

“Rigggght... thanks for telling me that now.  We need to change our clothes as soon as possible, or we’re going to smell like shit all night,” says Ellie, covering her nose.

“I think that’s going to have to wait.  We need to start to move away from here.  Matt and his men will probably be making their move to get inside the cabin by now,” says Joel, standing up and offering his hand to Ellie.

Ellie took his hand and stood up. “Okay, now what?”

“C’mon, turn off your flashlight and follow me.” Joel starts to walk away while Ellie moves to follow him.  It is a half moon today, so the forest isn’t completely in darkness. “Okay, we’re a little south of the cabin.  If we walk down this hill for a few hours, we’re going to find a little trail that can take us down off this mountain.”

 

(Back at the cabin)

As soon as the night comes, Matt starts to give instruction to his men to be prepared to get inside the cabin.  Matt moves closer to the man who is watching the cabin.  “Can you see anything inside?” asks Matt.

“I don't see any movement in the living room, but I can see someone covered with a sheet, sitting in a chair there.  I assume that that must be Amber,” answers the guard.

“Any sign of Hunter, or any other person there?” asks Matt, looking at the cabin now.

“Nope, I don't see anyone. But if he has her covered in there, he is probably hiding in the back.  He’s probably going to use her as a human shield, but we checked the outside of the cabin and didn’t find any explosives.”

“Well, that’s good, now we can't give him any more time -- we need to finish this.  Call Johnson and Greg and tell them to cover the back, and make sure nobody goes out that way.  The rest of us are going through the front,” orders Matt, and starts to move away.

The communications man starts to call.  “Johnson, do you copy… grrr…”

_“Yes, we’re here… over… grrr… no sight of them in the back…. Grrr… what are the orders?”_

“Matt ordered us to go in, so cover the back, in case someone tries to get out that way… grrr… over.”

_“…. Okay, we’re going to move close to the cabin, and wait… grrr… over.”_

“Copy that, be ready for anything… over and out,” the man cuts the transmission and moves close to the rest of the men.

“Okay, we’re going to move in, now!... You, Alan, and I are going to the front -- Polly, you go to the left side of the cabin and watch those windows, okay? Alan, as soon as we get into position, throw the flash grenade in… we’re going to break down the front door as fast as we can and go inside,” explains the leader of the group.

“Yes, sir!” say all of the men at the same time.

“Okay, guys, we move as quickly as possible.  Now move to your position and wait for my orders,” says Matt while his men start to move close to the cabin.  

The one on the side takes his position close to the window, making sure that no one can see him.  The half moon gives the place a little light, but they can cover themselves in the shadows.  The leader and the other 2 men take their positions on the side of the front door.  One of the men checks for any traps that might be connected to the door, but since he doesn't see any, he signals to Matt that it’s all good to enter.

“Alan, as soon as I open the door, throw the flash grenade in -- this is the only chance we’re going to have to secure Amber, so move as fast you can, okay?” Matt says in a lower voice.

“Ready, sir!” whisper the other two men.

“Okay, Polly... anyone close to Amber in the living room?”

“Not that I can see, sir,” whispers Polly at the side of the cabin.

“Okay, Alan... ready!” says Matt as he starts to count down with his fingers. _Three, two, one--_  as soon as he finishes, he kicks the door open.  Alan throws the grenade inside, and after the thing explodes, the other two men go inside the cabin.  Matt covers the door while the other two get close to the person sitting in the chair.  “Cover Amber, and make sure no one shoots at her,” says Matt while he enters the kitchen to see if there is someone in there.

The two men covering the chair start looking everywhere, their guns pointing, waiting for any sign.

“All clear, sir, there’s no one else in the living room,” says one of the soldiers.

“Shit, where is he… okay, one of you go upstairs and check the second floor.  Alan, go and check the other rooms down here.  I’ll take this thing off her.”  The others move as he said, then he moves close to the chair and removes the sheet.  That’s when he sees that the person they thought was Amber is just a dummy.  “What the hell!... FUCK!... That asshole just played us.  Find that motherfucker.  He has to be here somewhere -- there’s not another way out of here,” says the leader, cursing now.

“If Amber isn’t in the chair, who was that woman he showed us at the window?” asks Alan.

“I don't know… maybe he’s here with someone else, I don’t give a fuck... just find HIM!” says Matt while he kicks hard at the chair with the dummy.           

_Click!_ A little sound can be heard as soon as the dummy hits the floor.

“What was that?” asks Alan, looking at the dummy.  

“I don't know,” says Matt, getting close to the dummy and seeing the cable tied to it, going through the floor toward the back of the couch.  “Shit!... everybody get out of the cabin… NOW!”  All of them start to move fast.   

“Ka-Boom!”  An explosion and a big ball of fire can be seen and heard from a long distance.

Ellie quickly turns her head and looks back in the direction of the cabin.  “What the hell was that?” asks Ellie while she looks at the light in the distance.

“Well… I think that our unwelcome guests found my little farewell gift,” answers Joel, closer to her now.   

“Fuck, Joel!... did you blow up the cabin?... I thought we were going to leave that intact, just in case.”

“Yeah, I wish we could... it was a good place, but that was before those assholes came.  So I had no choice.  It was the only way to make sure they didn’t follow us.”

“Do you think that you got them all in that explosion?” asks Ellie, looking at Joel now.

“Well, I think so... I put enough explosives in there to blow up the entire place.  So yeah, I think that that’s going to take care of that problem,” says Joel, smiling.

“And you also forget to mention that to me… right?”

“Sorry, kiddo, I didn't want to ruin the surprise.”

“Man!... I think we need to talk about this whole forgetting thing, okay?”

“Yeah, don't worry, we have a long way to walk for that.  C’mon, we need to keep moving… we have a long trip ahead of us.”  Then Joel turns around and starts to walk again.

Ellie moves behind him and follows.  “So what do we do now?  We’re going to run out of food in a few weeks.  So we need to find a place where we can find some supplies and food.”

“With the way you’ve been eating lately, what we have ain’t going to last that long,” says Joel, laughing.

“Hey!... that’s not true,” Ellie protests while she moves to his side and hits him softly in the arm.  “I don't eat that much… you ass.”

Joel grabs his arm, like her punch had hurt him.  “For now, we go where the road takes us, but don’t worry, I think that I know a few places on the way to Jackson where we can get some supplies.”

“Well, I hope so, because it’s a long way back,” says Ellie, getting closer to him.

“We’re going to be fine, don't worry… C’mon, kiddo, we need to find a place to sleep for a few hours.” Joel puts an arm around her shoulder and holds her tight while they continue walking.  

“Damn it!... I loved that place… I’m going to miss it,” says Ellie, putting her head on Joel’s arm.  

“Me too, kiddo… me too.”   

 (One hour later)

“Sir… sir… can you hear me?... Sir!”

“Urgggrrr… “

“How do you feel, sir?” asks Alan.

“How do you think I feel... Where are the others?” asks Matt, trying to sit up on the ground.  He turns his head around to see the cabin that is now completely destroyed.

“Try not to move much, sir, you suffered several burns on some parts of your body,” says Alan while he tries to check on him.

“You don't say!... my face feels like hell, and my right leg hurts, too.”

“Don`t worry, sir, I’ll give you some morphine for the pain, and I’ll call Thomas, too.  He and the medic are coming this way.  They’re going to bring the jeep as close as they can, but I’m afraid that we need to walk down halfway.”

“Where are the others?” asks Matt again.

“It’s just you and me, sir, the others didn’t make it.  Polly was alive when I woke up from the explosion, but he had some severe wounds and died like 10 minutes ago.”

“FUCK!... I assume there’s no sign of that bastard, right?”

“No, sir.  The place looks like it has a basement, but I don't think that he was there when the cabin exploded.”

“Yeah, that motherfucker played us… shit, when Thomas gets here, I want to go after that bastard, is that clear?”   

“But sir, you’re in no condition to go after him.  Besides, we don't know where he went, and-”  

“I don't give a fuck!... That bastard killed half of my men, and probably Amber, too.  We’re going after him and killing that fucker,” says Matt, furious now.

“But sir, what about the general, or the deal with the Fireflies?”

“I don't care about that.  He is going to pay for this, I promise you that.  I’m going to find him and kill him, even if that is the last thing I do.”

  
  
  



	27. Back at Jackson Part-1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Joel and Ellie start they journey back to Jackson, Some other thinks happen in there a few month back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention. 
> 
> A/N: Hi I want to LYK that this chapter was so big that I have to splitted in 3 part. As some of  
> you know, since the hurricane hit us in September. I been having some problem on working on the story, even that I have the power back I still not have internet, so for that reason this story is so slow now. From chapter 22 and some of the follow ones that I writing on paper, they get to long for be just one chapter. So I have to split some of them, so this story is going to be more longer. It was going to be like 35 chapter and now is going to be like 45 or 50.

**Chapter 26 : Back at Jackson Part-1**

  
  


***Three months earlier***

  
  
  


It’s the first week of January, and the winter in Wyoming is very hard this year.  Alice and Dylan are on the way to Jackson when a little snow storm hits them. Lucky for them, they are using some winter clothing that they found a few weeks ago.  But even with those, they can't block the cold very well, so they’re trying to get to the town before they freeze to death. Alice is using the map that Ellie left them, trying to find the best route to get there.  Dylan is supposed to be in charge of that, but as he’s been sick for the last week, Alice has to take control of the map and try to find the way to Jackson. They found a little town 2 weeks ago and tried to spend a few days there to rest after the long journey.  Dylan got hurt again when he was fighting some infected they found there. Alice was attacked by a clicker while Dylan was killing a few infected. When he noticed that Alice was in danger, he moved to help her, but got cut on his stomach during the fight with the clicker.     

After they managed to get away from that place, Alice took care of his wounds the best she could, but after a few days, Dylan started to get sick.  He started with some fever, and even though he said he was fine, the cold wasn’t helping much, either. Dylan told her that it was only a little flu and that he was going to get better.  After they hit the road again, a few days after Ellie left the restaurant, Dylan wanted to go after Ellie, but he didn't know where the place she mentioned was, and the map that she left them only had marked the way to Jackson.  They found some infected during the first week, on the way back, but never so many as the last one. During the travel, Dylan told her a few things about Jackson and how wonderful the life was in there. Dylan knew that he wasn’t supposed to talk about Jackson with people they just met, but as he was starting to have feelings for her, he knew that he could trust her.  But now, things went differently... he doesn't know what is going to happen between them, but he hopes that at least she can be accepted there.

Now they are on an old road, riding Dylan’s horse.  The storm has stopped for the moment, but the cold is still too hard for them.  Alice is in the back, as Dylan is sitting in front of her so she can hold the reins and him while guiding the horse.  As she feels him trembling, she moves her hand to touch his forehead, to check how he is doing. He still has the fever.  Lucky for him, the cold weather is keeping his fever at bay, but it’s getting bad. He is so weak that she needs to hold him to keep him from falling off the horse.  Alice is starting to be afraid that he is not going to make it, so she doesn't know what to do. They’re riding a horse in the middle of a forest, heading to a town that she’s never been to before.  Dylan is helping her with the map the best he can, but it’s hard for someone that doesn't know where they are exactly. Dylan starts to make some noise, so Alice moves one hand and touches his forehead again; it’s hot as hell, even with all the cold they’re feeling right now.  The last time they spoke, he said that they were close, but that was the night before, and he hadn’t spoken much since they woke up this morning and hit the road again. 

Alice moves her hand to get the map out from the horse saddle and starts to look at it again. “Shit, where is this fucking place!...urg... I followed the map all the way as Ellie marked it, so where is it?” says Alice while she looks around to try to find any indication of where the town should be.  After half an hour of riding, Alice feels Dylan’s body getting heavy and starting to slip away from her. She tries to grab him hard, but it’s in vain, as he is so heavy that she can't hold him, and he falls from the horse. Alice quickly stops the horse and gets down, going to where he fell a few feet away and kneeling beside him in the snow.  Lucky for him, the snow cushions his fall, but Alice is worried that something worse might happen to him. “Oh please, be okay, be okay… please!” She starts to check him... he looks so pale that she thinks he is dead, but feels more relaxed when she finds his pulse. “Thank God, he’s still alive, but for how long? We’re in the middle of nowhere, and I don't know what to do,” she says in a lower voice while she puts her head on his chest and starts to cry.  “Please... Dylan, you need to wake up... I can’t do this myself… I need you.” Alice is almost on top of him, crying and hugging him, and in a way, trying to keep him warm, as snow starts to fall again. 

A few minutes later, she hears some noise in the woods, like something is getting close to them.  She stands up from Dylan and takes off her backpack to get her gun out. First, she thinks that it could be a wild animal, but then she thinks that it could be a hunter -- or worse, an infected.  She needs to be sure to hit whatever it is, because she doesn’t have too many bullets left in her gun. They used most of them in the last fight with the infected. She points the gun in the direction where she hears the sound, then she hears it again, but closer.  “C’mon, you bastard, I know that there’s someone there, and if you don’t come out, I’m going to start shooting!” screams Alice in the direction of a tree where she saw some movement. 

“Wow… wow… take it easy, lady… we don't mean any harm.  We thought that you were a infected eating that other person... so please don’t shoot,” says a voice from behind the tree.  

“Yeah, and you want me to believe you, right?... Whoever is there, move where I can see you --  and don't try anything, or I’m going to shoot you,” Alice says while she starts to stand up with her gun in her hands. 

“Okay… just don't shoot us, please…” says a young man while he moves from behind the tree with his hands up.  

Alice is a little surprised; the boy looks like he is only 16 or something.  He doesn’t have any guns on him, but she can see that he has a knife in a holster on his waist.  “Toss that to the ground, and tell your friend to come out, too,” says Alice, moving closer to him and pointing at the knife.

“Bro, she only saw  _ you _ \-- why did you say that you were with someone… you’re dumb,” whispers the other one behind the tree.

Alice is getting desperate.  “Hey!... I don't have all day, so it’s better for you to get out of there or I’m going to start shooting at your partner here,” says Alice in a hard tone, trying to scare them, just to make sure that they don't try anything.

“Please don't shoot us... we’re just kids that come from a town close from here.  We’re not even supposed to be outside, so please don't hurt us,” says the young man. 

“Bro… shut up, are you crazy?... We’re not supposed to say that to people outside.  Besides, she’s only a woman. I don’t think she’s going to--” 

“What!... She might be a woman, but she has a gun and--ouhh.”  The other kid gets out from behind the tree and hits the other boy on the back of his head.

“You idiot -- I could shoot her if you didn’t open your mouth and tell her that we were there,” says the other kid with a hunting rifle in his hand.  The two boys continue with the discussion while Alice is looking at them with mad eyes. 

“SHUT UP... BOTH OF YOU!... Or I swear to God, I’m going to shoot you both.”  Alice tries to calm herself before talking again. “Look, I don't have time for this, so it’s better if you drop the gun, and put your hands up,” Alice orders the boys as she gets closer. 

The boy with the gun does as she says and drops it.  Alice gets close to the boy and picks up the rifle from the ground, then looks at both of them.  

“Now, can you two stop arguing and listen?...  Just answer my questions and you two will be fine. You mentioned that you come from a town close to here, right?”

“Yes, ma’am!” both boys answer at the same time. 

“Okay... maybe you can help me out,” says Alice, lowering the gun a little.

“Are you in trouble?” asks one of the boys.

“Or hurt?” adds the other one.

“No, but my boyfri-- I mean, my friend is very sick and needs medical attention.  We were looking for this town called… umm, Jackson?” says Alice, moving away from the kids and moving back to Dylan, who is on the ground close to the horse.    

“Jackson!... we come from-- ooohhh!” the younger kid winces as he gets hit on the head again.

“Bro… what did I just say?... stop saying things that you’re not suppose to,” says the older one.

“You two are from Jackson?... that’s great.  We’ve been looking for it for a long time and he comes from there too,” says Alice while she kneels beside him and checks his temperature. 

“Really!... oh, that is so cool, so who is he?... is he from the scavenging group or the hunting one?  But I don't recognize either of you,” says the older boy.

“I'm not part of your community, if that’s what you mean, but he is -- his name is Dylan.  I don't know his last name; he never told me.” 

“Dylan!... really!... wow, Tommy is going to be happy to know that he’s back,” says the younger one.  

“Wait a minute... if I remember right, our father said that he left with a girl… ummm, what was her name?”   

“I think she was that old man’s girl… ummm… Tommy’s brother, I guess... I think her name was Ellie,” says the younger one.

The two boys move closer to her to see Dylan’s face, which is covered partially by a hood. “Yeah, it’s him.  But they went out like, what?... six months ago, or something?” says the older one, looking at him.

“And where is Ellie?  Because you’re not her.”

“Boys, can we do this later?... he needs a doctor fast!... and I can’t carry him by myself,” says Alice, looking at the boys now.

“Oh yeah, right... don’t worry, we’ll help you.  The town is like 25 minutes from here, in that direction.”  The two boys kneel down and help her to get Dylan back on top of the horse.  By that time, Dylan is already unconscious, so Alice feels more worried now. But at least she found the town, and she is hoping that they have a good doctor there who can take care of him.  The last thing she wants is to lose him after they found his home.

 

( One hour later at Tommy and Maria’s house) 

“C`mon, baby!... You’re kidding, right?” Tommy is pacing  in front of his wife. Maria is sitting on the couch in the living room of their house, looking at Tommy.

“I told you that I want some apple pie, like 10 minutes ago, so why are you still here and not out looking for some?” says Maria in an irritated tone. 

“Honey, I already told you that we don't have any -- it’s winter, remember?  And apples don’t grow this time of year,” says Tommy, trying not to get too close to her when she is like this.  

“Well… maybe someone in town has some apples to make a pie, so why don’t you go out and check.”  

“It’s snowing out there again, baby, and you want me to--”

“I'm the one who is carrying your babies, remember... two of them!... So if I want some apple pie, you should go and get it…” Maria says with some authority, but then realizes that that came out too harsh.  “Oh, I’m sorry, babe, I just... I don't know what’s wrong with me and the fucking apple pies… but please, can you find some… please?” says Maria, looking at him with pleading eyes. 

“It’s okay, baby, I know how hard this can be, so I’ll try to find some, but I can't promise you anything, okay?... Maybe someone in town has some apples left that I can take to Gloria to make the pie.”    

“Thank you, honey, I don’t know why I ask for some food that is hard to find right now.  But these two are making me crazy. I’m hungry all the time, and look at me -- I'm so fat now that I can’t do anything,” says Maria, touching her belly.     


Tommy moves close to her and kneels in front of Maria, taking her hands in his.  “It’s okay, baby, you’re not fat, you… you’re just pregnant, that’s all. Besides, this is going to be over soon... the doctor said that the babies are going to come in 3 or 4 weeks.  So everything is going to be back to normal pretty soon, you’ll see,” says Tommy, kissing her hands.

“I’m so sorry… I don't want to be so mean and difficult.  And sometimes I’m just afraid that I’m not going to be a good mother.  I lost mine when I was a kid… after that, it was just my dad and me.” 

“Ohhhh, you’re going to be a wonderful mother, and you’re not going to be alone in this.  And I’m going to be here all the way -- you’ll see how this is going to make this family great.” Tommy moves himself a little and puts his hand on Maria’s belly, and starts to kiss it.  “Oh, don’t worry, you two, Daddy is going to find some apples for your mom, so you two can eat that, too,” says Tommy, talking to the babies inside Maria’s belly and smiling. 

“Ahhh… thanks, Tommy you’re going to be a wonderful father.  My dad would be so proud of you. So what do you think they’re going to be... boys or girls?” asks Maria, kissing him on the top of his head. 

“Whatever is going to be fine with me... we’re going to love them the same way.  We’ve been trying this for so long, and now we’re going to have two. Now we’re going to be a great big family, and we’re going to make sure that these new residents of Jackson have a happy life here.”  Then Tommy goes up and sits beside his wife, and gives her a slow kiss on the lips.

After they separate, Maria speaks again.  “So what about the names?” she asks, looking at and passing her hand over her belly.  

“Well… I know that if it’s a girl, we were going to call her Jolene, but that was before the doctor said you’re going to have twins.”  

“I still love that name... so if there are two girls, we can still use that one and find another name for the other girl.  But if they’re 2 boys, we still need to find names for them.”

“Yeah I know, but we’ll have time for that later.  It would be nice if the clinic had a sonogram machine so we could know the sex of the new babies that will be born here.” 

“Yeah, that would be nice, but I think that it’s better to be surprised when the baby is born, like the old times.  So you’re going to get those apples now, honey?” asks Maria, smiling.

Tommy moves his head to her belly and gives her a kiss there.  “Don't worry, you two, Daddy is going to get what your mommy asked for, okay?”  Then he lifts his head and kisses Maria on the lips. “Stay here, I’ll be right back with some apples for you, but the pie needs to wait.”   _ Man, I hope that somebody here has some…  _ Tommy gets up from the couch and starts to walk away to get his coat and boots to go outside.  Maria is smiling at him, glad about how Tommy has been so good and patient with her during the whole pregnancy.  And as soon as he is ready to leave the house, his radio starts to sound.  __

_ “….Grrr… Tommy, are you there?”  _ asks a man on the radio.

Tommy picks up the radio and answers.  “Yes, Marcus… I'm here… is something up?” he asks.

_ “Yes… grrr… I received a call from the north gate… saying that the Clayton boys just arrived there with two people that they found in the forest north of here…grrr… over,”  _ says Marcus on the radio.  Marcus is now in charge of the security of the town while Bob is working at the dam.

“Two people?... what the hell are two people doing out there with this weather?  And why the shit are the Clayton boys out of town? They are underage to be alone out there!” says Tommy, a little irritated now.  Tommy finishes putting on all he needs to keep himself warm, and looks to Maria, who is still on the couch looking at him. “Sorry, baby, but I need to check this first... the Clayton boys were outside again with no supervision.”  

“It’s okay, honey, I can wait, but if you need any help, call me,” says Maria. _ Shit! There go my apples _ .

Tommy is leaving the house while he continues talking with Marcus on the radio.  “So did they say who these people are?” asks Tommy.

_ “Grrr…. No!... but they told me that they were a woman and a man, and that the man is from here… grrr… over.”  _

“From here?... can you ask them who he is, because the last information I got is that there’s nobody out there in this climate,” asks Tommy while he continues walking in the direction of the gate. 

_ “Okay, let me ask them, just wait a second…” _  The man hangs up and starts to call the gate.  Tommy continues walking while it starts to snow lightly.  He starts to feel the cold, so he covers his face with the new scarf Maria gave him for Christmas.  After a few minutes, the man calls him back. _  “Tommy, it’s Marcus again… grrrr… over.” _

“Yes, Marcus, did you find out who these people are?” 

_ “Yes, they told me that the man is Dylan… Grrr… -”   _ Marcus is interrupted by Tommy’s surprised question. __ He is new in town; he just came in a few months before Ellie departed with Dylan, so he didn't know many of the people back then.  Since Ellie and Dylan went out a little after that, he doesn't know them. Tommy gave him a security job since he was a cop before the virus. 

“Dylan!... are you sure?  And the woman with him -- her name is Ellie?” asks Tommy desperately.

_ “They didn't tell me her name… grrrr… apparently they were in a hurry... the man was in bad shape and they needed to take him to the clinic fast… grrr… do you want me to go there and check?… over.”   _

_ Shit!. _ .. “No!  I will go there and check this out myself, just go to the gate and check that all is in order… thanks, Marcus… over and out.”  _ Shit, I’ll have to have another meeting about how the security works at the gates again, _ says Tommy to himself while he starts to run toward the clinic now.

Ten minutes later, Tommy arrives at the clinic.  And as soon as he enters the building, he finds the two boys sitting in the reception area while Maggie talks to them.  Maggie is one of the new people that arrived in Jackson last year. She was 20 when she arrived, so Rose took her as a new apprentice, since Ellie wasn’t around much in the clinic after Joel left town.  Now she works there a few days of the week, or if they need more help in the clinic. 

“Hey, Maggie?... where are the two people that came here earlier?” asks Tommy as soon as he gets close to her.

“Oh, hello, Mr. Miller,” says the young woman as soon as she sees Tommy beside her.    

“Hello, Mr. Miller, we just want to--” one of the boys starts to talk, but stops as soon as he sees Tommy’s furious face.

“You two better have a good explanation for why you were outside, alone and without permission, in this weather,” he tells the boys with a serious tone, then he looks back to the young woman.  “So where are they?” he asks again.

“Oh, yeah, right… The man was in bad shape, so Rose and Dr. Wilson took him to the operation room, to stabilize him.  The woman is in one of the recovery room. They both were freezing, so Rose told me to put her in one of the rooms to warm her up,” explains the young woman.   

“Okay, take me to this woman -- I need to speak with her,” says Tommy to the girl, and then he looks back at the two boys.  “And you two, stay there until I came back -- you have a lot of explaining to do.” 

“Yes, sir!” say the two boys at the same time.

Tommy follows the young nurse to the room where the woman is.  He is hoping that this woman is Ellie... who else could it be?... but the men at the gate didn’t recognize her, so he needs to be sure that it’s her.  As soon as he enters the room, he looks at the woman sitting on the bed there with a warm blanket covering her. He is disappointed to find out that it’s not Ellie.  So now he needs to know why Dylan came back here with this woman and not with Ellie. 

The young nurse enters the room after Tommy with a cup of hot chocolate that she picked up before she took Tommy to the room.  “Here, drink this -- it’s going to make you feel better.” 

“Thank you!” says Alice, taking the cup with trembling hands.

“You’re welcome... now, this is Mr. Miller -- he’s one of the people in charge here, and he needs to ask you a few questions, okay?” says the woman, moving back to let Tommy get close to the bed.

“Oh, please stop calling me that -- just call me Tommy, okay?” says Tommy to the nurse.

“Tommy!... are you Tommy?” asks Alice, surprised.

“Yes, that’s my name, now the question is, who are you and what happened to Dylan?”   

“Oh… I’m sorry, my name is Alice.  I just met him a few months ago at an old outpost in the north, but he got hurt, and--” Alice stops when Tommy puts his hand up to stop her.

“Just wait, you said that you met them up north, right?  A girl was traveling with him, so you must’ve met her, too.  So where is she?... why is she not here with you two?” asks Tommy quickly. 

“Oh yeah, you mean Ellie!... yes, she was with him when I met him at the outpost.  But after a while, she went away on her own, when Dylan got hurt the first time,” answers Alice.

“What do you mean -- if she was traveling with you two, where is she?” asks Tommy.  

“I'm so sorry, but I can’t help you much with that.  Yes, she was with us for a little while, but after the incident in the restaurant that we found to pass the night, she left us and we couldn't follow her because of Dylan’s injury,” explains Alice with a sad expression.  

“Left?... what do you mean by that, what happened -- she was hurt or something?” Tommy asks desperately.

“No, she wasn’t hurt, but she left in the middle of the night.  Look, I want to help you, but maybe it’s better if you talk to Dylan... he knows more than me.  The only thing I know is that she was looking for a friend or something like that, but she and Dylan didn't talk too much about it.” 

“Well, you need to tell me all you know, because Dylan is with the doctor, and--” 

“Oh, no!... Dylan was sick and unconscious when we arrived here.  I need to see him -- your doctor said that he needed to take care of him quickly, and I don’t know what happened after that.”  Alice puts the cup on the little table close to the bed and starts to move out. Tommy stops her before she gets too far from the bed.  

“Calm down, okay?  There’s nothing you can do for him now.  We have a good doctor here, so he is going to take good care of him.  But for now, they ain’t out of the emergency room yet.” 

“But you don't understand -- what happened to him is my fault.  I tried to take care of his wound the best I could, but that wasn’t good enough.  And if something happened to him, I will--” Alice is trying to explain, but some tears start to form in her eyes. 

“It’s okay, I bet you did all you could, and he is a strong man.  I’m sure he’s going to be fine. But right now, I need to know what happened to Ellie… what is your name again?” asks Tommy softly.

“Alice… My name is Alice. I don’t want to be so pushy but I need to know how he is.  I know this is going to sound strange, but I can’t lose another person that I care about… I just can’t,” says Alice with tears in her eyes. 

“I can see that this is hard for you.  I don't know what happened out there or how you two got together, but right now, I need to know what happened to Ellie,” asks Tommy gently.

Alice stays on the bed, not knowing what to do.  She is so scared of losing Dylan after all that happened in the last two months they’d known each other.  When she lost her brother, it was like this; he died saving her. So she doesn't want all that to happen again.  She doesn't know these people, but if all that Dylan told her is true, she knows that they’re good ones. So Alice starts to tell Tommy all that happened after Dylan and Ellie saved her at the outpost. 

The young nurse came back to check on her and to inform Tommy that the doctor and Rose are not coming out yet.  After she finishes with the check, she goes out of the room again, leaving Tommy and the woman alone again. Alice doesn't know what to feel, because if they’re taking so long with him, that means it’s something bad.  Tommy puts one hand on her shoulder and encourages her to continue. He tells her not to worry, that Dylan is going to be alright. So she continues with the story, with some tears in her eyes. But she tells Tommy how Dylan got shot at the old restaurant, and how Ellie saved them.  Tommy is a little surprised at how Ellie was handling things out there, but he knows that being out there is not that easy. You need to fight and kill if you want to survive, but doing all that always changes a person. So he only hopes that Ellie will be alright and not end up like Joel.  Even though Joel is his brother, he knows how being a survivor changed him. He is a little scared of what’s going to happen if she dies out there, looking for Joel. After Alice finishes the story, she is trembling, trying not to think about Dylan, but that is in vain; she starts crying. Tommy gets close to her and hugs her, telling her that she’s safe here and that Dylan is going to be fine.  When he moves apart from her, he thanks her, but when he goes to say something else, he hears some commotion coming from outside the room.

“Shit!... What now?  Okay, stay here... I’ll be right back,” says Tommy as he walks away from her and out of the room.  As soon as he gets to the lobby, he sees that Maria is there, yelling at the two boys. 

“Where is she?... I’m not going to ask you again, so it’s better for you two to start talking if you don’t want to be in more trouble,” says Maria to the boys.

“Ummm… you mean the woman that came with that guy... Dylan?” says one of the boys, a little scared.

“Yeah, you idiot... who else came with him from outside?” answers the older kid.

“Will you two stop with this nonsense and tell me where Ellie is?” asks Maria, more irritated.

“Ellie?... I thought that the woman said that her name was Alice,” answers the younger one.

Maria is a little confused now, because as soon as she found out that Dylan was back in town, she assumed that Ellie was the woman they mentioned was with him. 

“Maria!... what are you doing here?” says Tommy as soon as he gets close to her.  The doctor says that you need to rest and stay at the house, if not--” he stops when Maria gives him the look.

“I’m pregnant, not crippled, so stop all that.  Why didn't you call me as soon as you knew that they were back?  You know that I’ve been worried sick since they went out.” 

“Sorry, baby, I was going to call you, but I just wanted to be sure it was them, and I didn't want to disturb you if it wasn’t necessary,” says Tommy with an apologetic face.

“Well, that is nice of you, but I feel fine.  When I contacted Marcus, he told me that a man called Dylan was hurt, so I came here as fast as I could to check that out myself.  Now I need to know if Ellie is fine, so where is she?” asks Maria, walking toward Tommy. 

Tommy walks over to her and puts his hands on her shoulders.  “I'm sorry, baby, but she ain’t here.”

Maria looks at him worriedly.  “What do you mean that she’s not here?  They told me that Dylan came here with a girl, and--” Maria stops as soon as she sees Tommy’s expression, a bad feeling starting to form in her mind as her eyes start to water.  

Tommy quickly sees that she is going to cry, but he doesn't know what to say, exactly.  He doesn't know yet what exactly happened to Ellie after she left Dylan and this woman. “It’s not what you think, but it’s better if you sit down.”

He takes her to a chair in the lobby and helps her sit.  Maria keeps looking at him with sad eyes, so he knows how this conversation is going to go.  He doesn't want the boys to hear all that, so he looks at the two boys and tells them to go home, and that he’s going to speak with them later.  The two boys leave the clinic with the hope that they’re not going to get in any more trouble. But Tommy is going to make sure that those two don’t go out of town again without supervision.  After they go, he turns back to Maria. He knows that this is going to be a little hard for her, and in her condition, it’s not good to stress her out. But he doesn't have any choice -- she is going to find out sooner or later, so it’s better to deal with this now.  

Maria takes a look at Tommy, knowing that something is not right.  “Please don't tell me... that she… is dead!” Maria is hoping that that’s not what Tommy is going to say to her, but the slow talking is killing her.  Even though Ellie is not Joel’s daughter, she loves her like a niece. All these past years that she’s been living here, she’s gained all the love of Tommy and her. 

“She didn’t come with Dylan -- the woman that came with him is another person that they met on the road.  But I know that she is going to be fine out there. She is a strong girl. I talked to… Alice -- she is the woman that came with Dylan.  And she told me that she left them like two months ago, and that she was alive and fine at that time.” Tommy takes Maria`s hand in his own and looks her in the eyes.  

“I don't understand... who is this woman and why did she go away from them.  And Dylan!... Why the hell did he come back here without her? It was his job to take care of her and be sure that nothing happened.  So where is he, I need to talk to him and--” Maria stops when Tommy squeezes her hand a little, to stop her from getting more stressed.

“Well, I’m pretty sure that he did the best he could to protect her, but you know Ellie.  And from what this woman told me, he got injured, so Ellie sent them here to be safe and go on by herself looking for Joel.  But it seems that he got hurt again on the way here, and the doc is attending him now.”

“What!... is he okay?” asks Maria worriedly.

“I ain’t sure... Dr. Wilson hasn’t even come out from the emergency room since they brought him here, so I think it’s pretty bad.”     

Maria looks in the direction of the operating room.  She feels so bad for Dylan and she is praying that he comes out of this soon.  But she needs to know what happened to Ellie... why is she still out there alone looking for Joel?  It’s been like six months since they went out, and now with all this, she feels that they made a mistake letting her go.  “Where is this woman? I need to speak with her!” says Maria, looking at Tommy now. 

“She’s in one of the back rooms.  She was almost frozen to death too, so Maggie’s been taking care of her,” says Tommy, standing up and offering his hand to his wife to help her up from the chair.  But both look around when they hear the young nurse coming from the storage room. 

“Hello, Ms. Miller, are you feeling alright?... is something wrong with the babies?” asks the young woman while she walks close to them.   

“No, she is alright, she only came here to check on Dylan and the woman that came with him.” 

“Oh, okay… well, that’s good news because the doctor is not out yet.  Well, I mean that you’re not having any problem with the babies… But that woman is getting a little impatient and nervous, and that’s not good for her, so I’m going to give her something to calm her down.” 

“Can I talk to her before you do that?... I really need to talk to her!” says Maria, a little desperate. 

“Well, she needs the rest… but I think that you can talk to her while the drugs get her sleepy. Just try not to ask too many questions.  Okay, follow me,” says the nurse, walking now in the direction of the room with Maria and Tommy behind her. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I want to tanks all the people that that is reading this story and for the few that let me comments and kudos. I know that this story is taking to long now, but I hope that you stay to the end. Even with all the difficult I having because the hurricane I going to finish this story so Thank you for your support. Special thank to (Lumy12) that always give me a little of her time to help me on the story.


	28. Back at Jackson Part - 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Joel and Ellie continue their travel back to Jackson, some other thing happen there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 27 : Back at Jackson Part - 2**

  
  


Tommy and Maria follow the young nurse to the room where Alice is.  The nurse tells them that she needs rest, and recovery time as well.  Maria is desperate to talk with this woman, as Dylan is attended by the doctor -- she needs to know what happened to Ellie.  

“Okay, I will give her the pill for relaxing and go wait for Dr. Wilson to come out with any news.  Remember, try not to stress her out too much; she needs to rest, too.” Maggie opens the door and enters the room, followed by Tommy and Maria.  “Are you feeling better?” asks Maggie as soon as she gets close to her. Alice is sitting on the edge of the bed, still covering herself with the blanket Maggie gave her earlier.  She looks at her with a sad and desperate expression; not knowing what happening to Dylan is eating her up.

“I feel better, thanks.  Do you know something about Dylan’s condition?” asks Alice desperately.

Tommy moves close to answer her.  “Not yet, but we are hoping that he gets out of there soon.  This is Maria, my wife. I know that you’re tired and worried, but she’d like to ask you a few questions, if that’s okay with you?” says Tommy nicely.

“Okay, I’ll be back in 15 minutes, just take this.  That will help you to relax a little, okay?” Maggie gives the pill to Alice along with a glass of water.  Alice puts the pill in her mouth and drinks the water.

“Thank you for everything,” Alice tells the nurse while she gives her the glass back.   

Maggie looks at Tommy and Maria before leaving the room.  The pill is going to take effect in 5 or 10 minutes, so try not to take long.” Then she leaves the room and closes the door.

Maria moves closer to her and introduces herself again.  “Hi, my name is Maria. Like Tommy said, I'm his wife, so welcome to Jackson,” she says, extending her hand to her.  Alice takes her hand and shakes it.

“Thank you!... Dylan told me a lot about this place, and mentioned you two.  I’m glad to finally meet you two in person. I don't know how much more I can help you... I already talked with your husband, but if you need to know something about me, you can ask anything.  I know that you have rules here, and I’m like an intruder, but I just want to make sure Dylan is okay. So if you want me to go or anything, I will understand.” Alice feels a little out of place, but with all the things Dylan told her about this place, she is hoping for the best.  But if the two people in charge here came to talk to her, it has to be something. Alice continues looking at both of them, waiting for what they’re going to say. She already talked to Tommy, but it seems like his wife is a nice person, too.

“Yeah, we have some rules and conditions to admit new people here.  Also, we need to do a complete medical examination. We have to make sure that no one enters here with any disease that could be contagious.  I know that the nurse gave you a small check, but the doctor needs to do the full version on you. For now, it’s better for you to stay here, so he can do that later,” says Maria softly.

“Okay, I understand all that… and thank you for helping me out,” says Alice with a sad face.  

“Yeah, don't worry about that... if you’re with Dylan, I think it’s okay.  Now, I know that we don't have much time, and you need some rest, too. I know that you spoke with my husband about what happened with Ellie and Dylan, but that can wait for later.  The only thing I need to know right now is if you know where she went.”

“Thank you, I will try to help you the best I can, but the thing is that I don't know.  She just left in the middle of the night. I think Dylan should know more, but he didn't mention anything to me.  The only thing I know is that she was going to find this friend of hers... in some kind of outpost or a trade town, something like that.  I think that was up north, but like I said, Dylan should know more,” says Alice with a yawn on the last part, feeling tired now, as the relaxation pill starts to take effect.

“Okay, that’s something, at least... we can check that later, thank you.  Now get some rest, and we’ll let you know as soon as the doc comes out and gives us any information on Dylan... okay?” After that, Alice lays down on the bed.  Maria and Tommy leave the room and walk toward the lobby of the clinic. Maria is feeling a little sad, not only because she didn't get much information about where Ellie is, but also about Dylan, because if the doctor is taking this long, it has to be very bad.  

As soon as they get to the lobby, Tommy suggests to Maria that she go back home and let him handle this.  He doesn't want her to get any more stressed because that’s not good for the babies. But Maria tells him that she wants to be there until the doctor comes out and make sure that Dylan is going to be fine, so they just sit there and wait.  After one hour, some people arrive at the clinic; they came as soon as they found out about Dylan, to see how he was doing. But Tommy and Maria don’t have much to tell them, except that Dylan is in bad condition. Some ask for Ellie, like Victor and a few of Ellie’s friends that worked with her.  They stay for a little while, but some of them have to go back to work. After a while, Jenna and Brad arrive at the clinic. As soon as they both enter, they start looking for Maria or Tommy. When Maria sees Jenna, she stands up, and Jenna walks over to her and gives her a hug as soon as she gets close to her.  

The hug doesn’t last long.  As both women are pregnant now, they both look at each other with a sad expression.  After that, both women go to sit while Brad goes to talk to Tommy. “I came as soon as I heard that Dylan was back... they told me that he was in bad shape, but they didn’t tell me anything about Ellie.  Is she alright?” asks Jenna quickly.

“We don't know... she didn’t come with him,” Maria answers sadly.

“What!... why isn’t she here with him?  What happened?” asks Jenna, surprised.

“We’re not sure about that yet... the woman that came with Dylan didn't say much, and Dylan is with the doc.”

“Oh... Yeah, how is he?” asks Jenna.

“Not good.  Wilson’s still working on him.  Rose came out like 20 minutes ago to let us know that Dr. Wilson was doing his best, but the operation was going to take more time.  So now we have to wait for him to finish and pray that all goes well.”

Jenna asks her a few questions about Ellie, and about this mystery woman that came with Dylan, but Maria answers with what she knows so far.  After a while, Jenna asks her about the babies and when she is going to go into labor. Maria tells her that the doc said that she is probably going to go into labor in 3 or 4 weeks.  When Maria asks about hers, Jenna touches her belly and tells her that her baby is fine, and that she is six months along now. She also tells her about how Brad wants a boy, but she wants it to be a girl.

A month after Ellie and Dylan left town, Jenna found out that she was pregnant.  After she told Brad, they went to speak with her mother. As they were already engaged, her mother suggested that they move the wedding day up.  Jenna didn’t want to do that because she wanted Ellie to be there with her, but her mother convinced her and Brad to get married before she started to show.  Jenna didn't care about what people were going to say, but her mother wanted it that way, so they got married a month later. As the doctor realized that the town was starting to have more pregnant women, he asked Maria to add a new nursery to the clinic.  The town was getting more populated as they were receiving more people over the years. So Tommy and Maria are planning to expand the town by cleaning up the part with the abandoned houses and making new ones. But that project is going to take more time.

Jenna and Maria continue talking about their babies; it’s a good distraction while they’re waiting for the doctor to come out.  But they stop talking when Maria sees the woman walking from the room corridor toward the lobby.

“Hey, you should be resting,” says Maria to the woman, then she stands up.  Jenna does the same.

“Sorry, I can’t sleep much, knowing that Dylan is still in there and no one’s told me anything,” says Alice, moving close to them.

“Hi, I heard that you came here with Dylan and thanks to you, he’s still alive,” says Jenna while she gets close to the woman, too.

Alice looks at the two women with some curiosity.  She notices that both women are pregnant. “I wouldn’t say that, because it was my fault that he ended up like that.  He was trying to protect me from some infected when he got hurt,” Alice starts to explain.

“Oh, I see... sorry.  But Maria told me that you care about him, so this must be hard for you.  Dylan is a good man... he always cares for other people. So how did you meet them? ...Sorry for asking you like that, but Ellie is my friend and I just want to know what happened to her, and why she isn’t here,” asks Jenna desperately.   

“You must be Ellie’s friend.  She told me a little about you during the little time we spent together.  Even though she didn't like to talk much, especially about this place or what she and Dylan were doing out there.  Dylan told me a few things about this place, but we had more time to talk.”

“Oh, I see... so you two got close?... I mean you and Dylan, of course,” asks Jenna curiously.

“... well... we became… umm, friends, I guess.  I`m not sure about that... things got a little complicated.  Look, I know that all of you are worried about the girl. I don't blame you.  I'm worried myself. I know that she is only a teenager and shouldn’t be out there alone.  I really want to help you, but I don't know where she went, and even though we wanted to go after her, Dylan was injured at that time too, so we couldn’t do anything,” says Alice sadly, a little frustrated about that.

“It’s okay... we don't know what happened to them out there, so we just want to understand.  Ellie is a very beloved person to some people here, so we’re just worried for her,” says Jenna calmly.

“Yeah, I understand that.  She looked like a nice girl, and from what I could see, she can take care of herself.  Right now, I’m more worried about Dylan. Don’t get me wrong, I hope that Ellie is alright and maybe on her way here.  But… but… Dylan… I just need to know if he is okay. So do you know anything about his condition?” asks Alice nervously.

“Sorry, the doctor hasn’t come out yet, but I can assure you that he is doing the best for him. We have a great doctor here, and if anyone can--” Maria stops when all the people there hear a door open in the corridor and see Dr. Wilson and Rose come out of the emergency room.  He has some blood on his medical robe and on his gloves. As he was walking in the direction of the people there, he takes the gloves off and throws them in a nearby trash can. He stops before getting close to the lobby and says something to the nurse in a lower voice. Rose nods at him and walks away to his office.  

All the people there look at the doctor and see that his expression isn’t so good.  He starts to walk again, and enters the lobby. Tommy moves away from the group and gets close to him, and asks him about Dylan’s condition.  “I hope you have some good news for us, Doc -- how is he?” asks Tommy quickly.

“I’m afraid that the news is not going to be so good,” says Wilson, looking at the people there.  

Some of them go silent, not expecting something like that.  Alice moves away from Maria and Jenna and gets close to the doctor with some tears falling from her eyes.

“No, no, no... please just tell me that he is going to be okay… you said that you’re going to take care of him… he can’t be… he can't,” Alice says desperately, so Maria moves close to her and grabs her shoulder in support.  

“How bad is it?... He’s not… dead, right?” asks Maria.

The doctor looks at her to answer.  “No!... He’s still alive … for the moment, but his condition is bad.”  

“How bad?... Is he going to be okay?” asks Tommy.

“Well, that’s going to depend on him now.  He is in a coma, so for now, we need to wait and see.  But he is a strong man, and I believe that he has a very good chance to recover.  But his condition is still delicate. I treated his wounds the best I could, but he has an infection that damaged one of his kidneys, so I had to operate on that.  The other one is fine, so he can survive with only one. He lost a lot of blood, too, but thanks to the almost freezing condition, the infection didn’t spread too much to other parts of his body,” Wilson explains.   

“I don't understand... Is he going to be okay?... can I see him?” asks Alice desperately.

“I'm afraid that you need to wait a little longer for that.  We need to move him to another room to monitor him and make sure everything is okay.  We don't have the right equipment here to treat someone in this condition, but I assure you that we’re going to do our best,” says the doctor.

Some tears come out of Alice’s eyes as she hears what the doctor is saying, so Maria is trying to comfort her a little.  “Don`t worry, the doctor said that he has a good chance… isn’t that right, Doc?” asks Maria, looking at the doctor now.

“Yes, of course, but like I said, we need to wait.  I stopped the infection, so he’s not going to have any problems with that.  His condition is still delicate, but if he responds well to the treatment, he’s going to be okay.”  

“Thank you, Doctor, I know you’re going to do your best.  And if you need anything that we can help with, let me know,” says Tommy.

“Yeah, now that you mention that, we’ve almost used all the reserve blood we have, so we’re going to need more.  So if you can get some volunteers to donate some blood, that would be great,” says Dr. Wilson.

“Okay… I can work on that.  I will announce it at a meeting to discuss all this.  Well, about Dylan’s condition and the new arrival... thanks, Doc,” says Tommy.

“Okay then... Brad, can you help Maggie with the stretcher so we can move Dylan to another room?” asks the doctor, looking at the young man.

“No problem, doc... anything to help,” says Brad quickly.

Dr. Wilson looks at the young nurse and tells her to take Brad to the emergency room and transfer Dylan to room number five, which is the only one that has some working equipment to monitor a patient.  After that, both of them walk out of the lobby and go to the room. “Okay, I don't want to sound rude, but if no one else needs medical attention, you can go home. There is nothing you can do for now, and I will handle things here and let you know of any progress,” says the doctor to the group of people there.

The doctor is starting to walk away when Alice speaks again.  “What about me?... can I see him when he gets transferred to another room?” says Alice with a sad voice.

“… Ummm… Alice, right?” asks the doctor, not really remembering if that’s the name she gave him when they arrived at the clinic.

“Yeah, that’s my name… ummm... Maria said that you need to do some kind of check on me,” says Alice, a little nervous now.  

“Yeah, we need to do a full exam on all the people that come in here, just to be sure that they haven’t brought any diseases and not infected,” explains the doctor.  “I can do that later, but if you want to see Dylan afterward, we can do that now while he’s being transferred to another room.”

“That’s a good idea, Doc.  I will stay here with her until you finish,” says Maria.

“Okay then, if you will be so kind and follow me, we can start that now,” he says to Alice, then he turns around and walks toward one of the empty rooms.  

Maria tells the woman to go with the doctor and that she’s going to be there shortly.  After Alice goes, Maria looks at Tommy and Jenna, and before she says something, Tommy talks first.

“Babe, you don't need to stay here, I can ask someone to take care of this woman.  You need to go home and rest. This situation is not going to help the babies,” says Tommy.

“It’s okay, Tommy, I will be fine, don't worry. I’ll stay with her and see if I can get more information about Ellie.  You can go and prepare the meeting, and make sure that everything is okay in town,” says Maria softly to him while she moves close and gives him a small kiss on the lips.

“Yeah, we’re going to be fine, and as soon as Brad finishes, I will send him to help you out,” says Jenna quickly.

“Are you serious?  You are pregnant, too... You two would be better off at home.  Doing this is not good for the babies, you know,” says Tommy, shaking his head.

“Don't worry, honey, we’re in the clinic -- if something happens, there’s no better place to be,” she says, smiling.

“Okay then, I will go and check a few things and go to the hall to inform the people about Dylan’s condition, and that we need some volunteers to donate blood.  Here, keep the radio, I will pick up another one from the house. If you find out anything about Ellie or ummm… Joel, let me know, even though she never mentioned him... but who knows, maybe she’ll remember something.”

“Okay, Tommy, I’ll let you know, thanks,” says Maria, taking the radio in her hand.

After Tommy kisses Maria one more time and walks out of the clinic, Maria and Jenna start to walk toward the room where the doctor is going to examine Alice, hoping to know more about Ellie.

Dr. Wilson just does the regular physical check, and of course makes sure that she doesn’t have any bite marks.  He tells Rose to take some blood samples, but those are going to take a little time to get examined. Maria and Jenna stay outside the room until the doctor finishes and leaves the room.  He tells Maria that Rose is going to do the rest of the tests, but if she wants to go inside and talk to the woman, she can do it now. He is going to check on Dylan and make sure everything is fine.  He also tells Maggie to attend any volunteers that come to donate blood or let him know if someone comes in sick. After that, Maria and Jenna enter the room and ask Alice if everything is okay, and if she and Jenna can stay there with her.  Alice tells them that it’s okay, that the nurse is almost finished with her. So Maria and Jenna just find a chair and sit there, seeing how things go.

After a while, Maria notices some of the marks the woman has on part of her legs and arms.  Some are old, but others are fresh. The woman is wearing a paper robe, some generic one that they traded for with the other town.  Maria remembers that she mentioned the fight they had with some infected before getting here. Everyone is silent in the room except for Rose, who is asking the woman some questions, so Jenna takes the opportunity to try to get some information.  “So you and Dylan are close now?” asks Jenna with some curiosity.

“What!” says Alice, now looking in Jenna and Maria’s direction.

“I’m just asking, because I can see how worried you look for him.  I don't know what happened out there, but it looks like you are close to him, or am I wrong?” says Jenna, waiting for the woman’s reaction.  

Alice looks at the woman, not knowing how to answer.  Yes, Dylan and her had become friends during the trip, and yes, they’d kissed several times -- well, a lot of times -- but they never went beyond that.  He never told her that he loved her or anything like that, and neither did she. And after what happened at the restaurant, something changed in him. Dylan didn't talk much about anything... he was more quiet.  Even though he talked a lot about this place, before the restaurant, she noticed that he felt guilty because of the girl. She knew that even though the girl was strong, Dylan was the adult, so she knew that he was responsible for her.  She noticed that he was worried about what was going to happen to her, and that he didn't go and help.

“How long was it after they found you?” asks Maria, snapping the woman out of her thoughts.

“Oh, sorry, I was just… ummm… yeah, right.  I’m not sure… it’s hard to track the time out there.  But I think like 3 weeks before the restaurant, and like two months after.  And for the other question, I’m not sure… ummm, friends, I guess,” answers Alice to both women.

“So you don't have any idea where Ellie went after she left you two?” asks Jenna now.

“Dylan didn't talk much about what they were doing up in the north... the only thing I know is that they were looking for someone.  I think Ellie mentioned once that he was a friend of hers, and that she needed to find him.”

Maria was going to ask another question when Rose speaks and tells everyone that she is done for now.  That she is going to take the blood sample to the doctor and that he’s going to give them the results in a few days.  But for now, everything is okay with Alice, so she doesn't need to stay in the clinic.

“Okay, thank you.  Can I put my clothes back on and go to see Dylan now?” Alice asks the nurse.

“Yeah, sure.  But the doctor said just for a moment.  He doesn’t want anybody else there until he gets more stable.”

“Oh, don't worry, Rose, we’re just going to be there for a few minutes,” says Maria, standing up.  Jenna does the same while Rose moves close to them.

“Don't worry, the doctor did a great job with him.  I'm sure he’s going to be fine in no time. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to help Dr. Wilson with a few things and take this to him,” says Rose, opening the door and walking out.  

After the nurse goes, Alice finishes putting her clothes back on.  While she is doing that, Maria notices that her clothes have some blood stains, and have some holes in them, too. “You know, I think I have some clothes that you can use,” says Maria, looking at the woman.

“Well… that is a nice gesture of you, thank you.  But I don't want to bother you with that. You’ve all been so nice to me even though you don't know me.  I still have some others that I can use in my backpack. I know this isn’t good, but I didn't have the time to change and this was better than freezing to death.”

“It’s okay, don't worry, you’re going to be fine here.  We don't let good people die out there if we don’t need to.  We can find a good place here for you, if you want to stay.”

“Thanks… That’s a really nice offer from you, even though you know nothing about me.  But I really want to go to see Dylan, if that’s okay,” asks Alice, a little desperate.  

“Sure… that’s not going to be a problem, let's go,” answers Maria.  The three women walk out of the room and go to the one Dylan is in. Rose already told them what room they put him in, so they arrive there in no time.  When they open the door, Dylan is in a bed with some instruments monitoring his condition. Alice asks them if she can go alone for a few minutes, so Maria and Jenna stay outside.     

After Alice goes inside, Dr. Wilson comes from his office and stands in front of them.  He asks Maria if she found out anything about Ellie. “Did she tell you anything about Ellie?  I didn’t ask when I was checking her, because she seemed too stressed out, and I didn’t want to complicate her condition.  But I really want to know what happened to Ellie, and if she didn’t come with them… I just don’t want to think the worst,” says the doctor sadly; he misses the girl very much.  She was good at her job, and she suffered so much, that he only wishes the best for her.

“She didn’t tell us much, but so far, Ellie left them to go looking for Joel when Dylan got shot before they came here.  So we don't know yet what happened to her. This is worrying me... Ellie is just a girl, and even though Joel taught her how to survive, being alone out there is just…” Maria starts to get sentimental as some tears come out of her eyes.  Jenna pulls her into a hug and starts to tell her that Ellie is going to be fine. The doctor tries to change the topic, as he starts to tell them about Dylan’s condition and how almost freezing to death saved his life. They continue talking for a few minutes while Alice is inside the room.

Inside the room, Alice walks close to the bed.  His body is covered with a sheet to keep him warm and he has some instruments attached to him.  When she gets close, she notices how slow his breathing is and how pale he looks; if she didn’t know better, he almost looked like he was dead.  Those thoughts bring some sadness to her mind, but she tells herself that he is going to be alright. As soon as she is beside him, she takes one of his hands in hers and moves her head down to be closer to his face.

“I'm so sorry…” Alice starts with a lower and sad voice. “I know this is my fault... if I was more careful and didn’t insist on going into that building, none of this would’ve happened.  Ellie trusted that I would make sure you got here in good shape, and now it feels like I failed on that too…” she lowers her head and puts it on top of his hand, then she closes her eyes as some tears start to come out of her eyes.  “Please, I can't lose you like I’ve lost everything else. I know that we just met a few months ago but... I need you… so please don’t leave me -- I can’t do this alone, not again.”

At that moment, Maria knocks on the door and enters the room slowly, just to tell the woman that they need to go.  But as soon as she sees the scene, she starts to wonder what happened in the last four months that Ellie and Dylan were out there.  Thinking about Ellie isn’t helping at all. She is just an 18-year-old girl, out there in this cruel world. But she has to accept this for now… there’s nothing they can do for Ellie at this moment, but Dylan… He needs them right now.  Maria approaches the bed slowly behind Alice and puts one hand on her shoulder, and speaks.

“He is a good man, don`t worry about him... he’s going to make it, we’re going to make sure of that,” says Maria with a soft and kind voice.

Alice opens her eyes and moves her head to look at him.  “He is the kindest person I ever met -- he helped me and those at the outpost where I was, without any vacillation.  And gave me his friendship without question,” she says with a sad voice, but she continues. “He offered me a home... a place to live and be happy, and he didn’t even know me that well at that time. He gave me hope, a new beginning to start over, but I can't take any of that, if he… if he won’t be there to share that with me.”  In that moment, Alice knows how much she loves him; even with the short amount of time they’ve spent together, this man found a way to her heart.

Maria can see now that this woman really loves him.  She is happy for him. He’s been alone here since his father died; he didn’t have many friends here until he became Joel’s friend.  Who knew that Joel and Dylan were going to be friends? But this man has a big heart; he can connect with anyone. “We need to go now, but don’t worry -- I’ll talk to the doctor and make sure that you can come visit him later.  But for now, he needs to recover, and so do you… c’mon.”

“Okay... thank you.” Alice kisses his hand and puts it back on the bed, then she moves away.  

Both women leave the room as Maria closes the door behind her.  Jenna is waiting outside the room. “How does he look?” asks Jenna as soon as Maria and Alice get out there.

Maria tells Alice to wait for her in the lobby because she needs to talk with Jenna for a moment.  Alice nods in response and walks away sadly. Then Maria turns to look at Jenna. “He seems okay, but we need to wait and see.  There’s nothing we can do here for now, so why don’t you go home and I’ll let you know if I find out something about Ellie, okay?”

“What do you think about this woman... do you think she is telling us everything?” asks Jenna, suspicious.

“I don't really know her story, but I can tell you what she’s feeling for Dylan is real.  I will talk to her again and try to find out if she can tell me more about Ellie.” Maria looks in the direction of the lobby where the woman was sitting, waiting for her.  Maria can't say why she trusts this woman, but the way she looks at Dylan and the way she cares about him is something that she’s seen before. She tries to remember where she’s seen this recently, but the only thing that comes to her mind is Ellie and Joel.  

“Well, I hope Ellie is fine, or at least that she found Joel and is with him.  I just worry for her, and I think that this woman knows something about her and doesn’t want to tell us.”

“Don't worry, I’ll tell you what I can find.  I don't think she is lying, but when she’s more relaxed, maybe she can tell me more.  I know that Ellie was obsessed about finding Joel, but going on her own?” _C’mon, Ellie, why did you do this?  Going out there alone just to try to find him… I know that he was important to you, but..._ Maria stops before she starts thinking about feelings she’s not sure about. 

“Okay, so what are you going to do with her?  Because she doesn't need to stay in the clinic, right?”

“Well, she’s with Dylan now, I can tell you that.  So maybe she can stay at his house until he wakes up and recovers.  But for now, I want to keep an eye on her and get to know her more, so I’m going to take her home.”

“Are you joking?... You’re going to take that woman to your house and in your condition?” asks Jenna, disbelieving.

“I don't think that she’s going to do anything or that she is dangerous.  I really think that she is a good person. And that way, I can talk with her more and try to find out what happened to Ellie.”

“Okay, just let me know if you need anything.” After that, Jenna and Maria say goodbye to each other and walk to the lobby.  Jenna says goodbye to Alice and continues to the exit of the clinic.

Maria stops in front of the woman and looks at her.  “We don't know how long this is going to take, but Dylan has a house here, and I assume he will be happy if you stay there.  But for now, you can stay with me and Tommy,” says Maria gently.

“I don't want to cause any trouble just because I am with Dylan.  I know that I'm just a stranger here, and it’s enough that you are so kind and let me stay here,” answers Alice, lowering her head.

“Oh, you don't need to worry about that -- we have a spare room there that you can use, so it’s not going to be any problem.  Besides, I could use a little help in the house now, you may have noticed.”

“Yeah, I can see that... your belly is so big, and Dylan never told me that you were pregnant.”

“Well, that’s because I’m going to have twins, and I don't remember if Dylan knows that.  We didn't tell too many people until it was starting to show, but Ellie knew.”

“Wow, that’s great -- congratulations!  You don't see many pregnancies these days, let alone twins,” says Alice, standing up from the chair.  “Ellie didn't tell me either, but I didn't speak too much with her. We didn’t spend that much time together, and she seemed too sad to talk.  But Dylan talked all the time... well, at first, anyway… after the girl left, he was more quiet,” says Alice with a sad voice.

“Well, maybe we can talk about that while we’re preparing the dinner for today... what do you think?”

“That sounds good, but I don't know if I can eat anything while Dylan is like that… I just--”  

“Oh, c’mon, he’s going to be fine.  I know that he’s a strong man, and from what I can see, now he has someone to fight for,” says Maria, putting her arm around Alice’s shoulder.

Alice’s face turns a little red from the comment, and she lowers her head to try to hide it.  “I don't know about that... we kissed sometimes, but we never talked about all that,” says Alice shyly.

“Oh, don't worry about that.  I'm sure that he feels something for you.  And I can see that you feel the same. Now let's go to my house and eat something -- I'm starving.  After that, you can rest. I can show you some of the town tomorrow if you like,” says Maria, smiling.  

“Thank you for all of this.  Dylan was right: you’re amazing people.”  With that, both women walk out of the clinic and toward Maria’s house.  Maria is still hoping that Tommy will find some apples for her; she still wants that pie.


	29. Back at Jackson Part- 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few weeks has passed since Dylan and Alice arrive to Jackson. While Dylan is in a coma, Maria is preparing to the arrival of the new two citizen of Jackson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention. 
> 
> A/N: Hi, as this and the two last 2 chapters, has been without Joel&Ellie. I will post the follow chapter, next Sunday when Ellie&Joel get back to the story. After that the follow chapter is going to continue been posting every 2 weeks, thanks for you patience, and I hope that you continue reading the story. Don`t forget to put a comment on it, if you like, that mean a lot to us, thanks.

**Chapter 28 : Back at Jackson Part- 3**

  
  
  


The walk to Maria and Tommy’s house isn’t that long, but Maria has to stop several times on the way there to talk with some of the people who are asking questions.  She tells them what happened and introduces Alice as the new member of Jackson. After they arrive at the house, Maria shows Alice where the bathroom is and the guest room, so she can clean herself up.  Also, she gives her some clean clothes that she can use while she gets her own from the bag that she left in the horse. While the woman takes a shower, Maria goes to the kitchen to start dinner. A few minutes later, Tommy arrives at the house.  He sees Maria in the kitchen, and walks in there to help her.

“Hey, do you need any help with that?” asks Tommy while he grabs her from behind and starts to kiss her on the neck.

“No, honey, I’ve got it all covered -- I’m just making soup.  That’s going to be good for our new guest.”

“Yeah, I know that... I saw Jenna on the way here and she told me that you’re going to let that woman stay here.  Do you think that’s a good idea?” asks Tommy while he moves away from his wife.

“She needs someone to relate to, and maybe after she cleans up and eats, she can talk more about what happened out there.”

“I know that you’re worried about Ellie.  I am too, but we don't know too much about this woman.  And in your condition, I just... don’t want to take any risks.”  

“I don't think she’s a bad person.  Besides, with my condition, I can use the help.  You need to take care of the town more now, until I deliver these two, so any help I can get is good for us.  And besides, that way I can keep her close, and see if she can remember anything else.”

“Okay, babe... anyway, I can't believe that Dylan let Ellie go alone like that.  I know he got hurt, but--”

Maria moves close to him and puts her hands on his cheeks.  “Do you think that he was going to be able to stop her? I think that maybe we made a mistake letting them go like that.  But I know Ellie enough to know that she was going to get out to find Joel no matter what we did. She is a stubborn girl, just like him, and sometimes, all the things they did... it’s like they were destined to be together.”

“Yeah, and that scares me sometimes,” says Tommy with a worried expression.

“You worry too much about that -- they helped each other to heal after all they went through.  So it’s natural that they got so close.” _I’m just wondering how close they’re getting_.  The last part Maria says to herself, just starting to think about the possibility of Joel and Ellie getting close in another way that is not a father-and-daughter kind of relationship.  

After one hour, Alice comes down from the bathroom, enters the kitchen, and asks Maria if she needs any help.  Maria tells her that she can set the table since the food is almost done. Maria shows her where the plates are, and when she finishes, Alice asks if they’re going to wait for her husband to eat.  Maria tells her that Tommy was already there a few moments ago, but had to go out to take care of something. After dinner is ready, Maria tells Alice to sit while she puts the food on the table, then she sits at the table too, in front of her.   

Maria is looking at the woman and seeing her sadness; she isn’t even touching the food in front of her.  “You need to eat, you know... I know that you feel sad for Dylan, but you need to stay strong for him.”

“Yeah, I know, but seeing him like that… is hard… you know,” Alice says in a lower voice.

“Yeah, I understand, but it’s just the first day, and I know that he’s going to get better in no time,” says Maria, trying to cheer her up.

After a few minutes, the two women start to eat and talk a little.  They talk about how Alice met Dylan and Ellie, about the fight with the hunters at the outpost and later with the infected on the farm.  How Ellie saved her and Dylan in the restaurant, too. She tries not to mention the hard part of the story, afraid of what Maria’s going to think or say about that.  After they finish, Alice offers to wash the dishes. Maria helps her to the guest room and tells her that she should get some sleep, and that she’s going to stay there for the time being.

A few hours later, Tommy comes back home.  It is already late, and the night is cold and windy as fuck.  As soon as he enters the house, he takes off his coat, gloves, and boots.  “Hey, babe, I'm home!” he says while he moves into the living room.

Maria walks out from the office room they have in the back and walks toward him. “Hey, honey, you’re a little late... I was starting to get worried, because you said that you were coming back quickly, so what happened?”  

“Oh, sorry, honey, but we had to move some snow at the store’s entrance, and then I got a call from Shawn.  Telling me that some of the water pipes were starting to freeze, so we had to check that, too,” Tommy starts to explain while he gets close to Maria and kisses her lightly on the lips.   

“Oh, wow, why didn’t you call me?... that sounds serious,” Maria says after the kiss ends.

“I didn't want to bother you.  Besides, it ain’t so bad. Shawn and his men are going to deal with that in the morning.” Tommy grabs Maria by the side and guides her toward their room.

“Well, I hope that it doesn’t get bigger.  If the pipe continues to freeze, we’re going to start having some problems with the water.  Anyway, I left you some dinner in the fridge... I can warm it if you want me to?”

“Oh, don`t worry about that, I’m not that hungry… So our new guest told you something else?”  

“We talked a little, but nothing that we can use to know where Ellie is, and she was really tired after diner.  I sent her to the guest room so she can get some rest, and we can talk more in the morning,” says Maria as soon as they enter the room.

Maria changes her regular clothes for her sleeping ones, and Tommy does the same.  Once they’re done, both of them get into bed to get some sleep. Tommy moves close to her and starts to pass one hand over her belly. “How did our little ones do today -- I mean after all this, of course… did you have any problems?”  asks Tommy, smiling.

“No, they’ve been great all day, thank God… shit, Tommy, your hands are freezing -- you need to warm them up,” says Maria, smiling at him.  

“Oh, is that an invitation?... because I can warm them up really fast, if you’re in the mood,” says Tommy, moving closer to her and slowly starting to kiss her neck.

“Ohhhhh… Tommy, as much as I want to, I can’t with those two in here… Ahhh… shit, stop that -- I’m serious,” says Maria, giggling a little.

Tommy moves away a little and looks at her. “Well, I hope that they come out soon.  I want to have some private time with my wife, too.”

“Ha,ha, are you crazy?... do you think that we’re going to have more time after they’re born?” says Maria, laughing a little.

“Don`t worry, we can always find someone to watch them.”  Tommy moves to her belly and starts talking to the babies.  “Hello, little ones, I’m your daddy!... You better get out of there soon and be good, so your daddy and mommy can have some mad sex... okay?”  

“Tommy!” says Maria, a little surprised.

“What!”

“Don't say that to them -- that’s not right,” says Maria, trying to be serious.

“Why not?  They need to know where they come from anyway,” says Tommy, moving up again to rest beside her. “Don't worry about all that.  We’re going to be good parents, and give them the best lives they can have here.”

“Ohhh Tommy, I love you so much, and I know that you’re going to be a wonderful father,” says Maria, then kisses him passionately.  

After they end the kiss, Tommy looks her in the eye. “I love you too, and you too are going to be a wonderful mother.” After that, both of them go to sleep.

 

(Next morning)

Tommy wakes up at 9:00 in the morning, but he decides to let Maria sleep a little longer.  He gets out of bed and goes down to the kitchen to prepare some breakfast. But as soon as he walks in, Alice is already sitting at the kitchen table with her head down.  She only has a glass of water in her hand, and looks like she’s been crying all night.

“Good morning,” says Tommy, walking close to her. “Did you have a good sleep?”

The woman lifts her head and looks at him. “Oh, good morning… well, I think I slept okay,” she says in a lower and sad voice.

“Well, that’s good.  I hope you feel better today.  Do you want something to eat?” asks Tommy while he starts to get some stuff to start to make some breakfast.

“Oh, no thanks, I’m not hungry, I… was just thinking about Dylan all night, and I can’t get him out of my mind… you know.”  

“Oh, I see, don't worry -- he is going to be fine, I’m sure.  And I’m glad that he found someone like you... you seem like a good woman.”

“Thank you… Ummm do you know if I can go to see him at the clinic?”

“Well, it’s too early for that, but I’m sure that Maria can go with you later.  For now, let’s just eat something, okay?” says Tommy, returning to what he was doing.

“Hello, how is everyone this morning?” says Maria, entering the kitchen.

“Oh, hello babe, why are you out of bed?... I was going to let you sleep a little more and bring the food back to the room,” says Tommy, getting close to her and giving her a little kiss.

“Oh, that is so sweet.”  She kisses him back. “But it’s okay, you don't have to do that.” Maria walks toward the table and sits beside Alice.  “Did you sleep well?” she asks the woman.

“Yeah, I guess... oh, thanks for letting me use your extra room,” answers Alice with a sad voice.

“No problem.  We want you to feel safe here... isn’t that right, honey?” Maria gives Tommy a look while he returns to the cooking.

“Yeah, sure…” he answers, looking at the woman for a moment. “Ummm… Now that you’re more rested.  You mentioned at the clinic that Ellie left Dylan a note when she left... Did she mention anything about the place she was going?” asks Tommy, without stopping the cooking.   

“Shit… now that you mention that, I forgot about the note.  She didn’t say much there, just that she needs to find her friend, and can't wait for Dylan to recover, but she also left 2 letters for you.”

“Two letters, really?” asks Maria quickly, with a surprised expression.   

“Yeah, I don't know how I forgot that.  She left 2 letters: one for you guys and the other for… that Jenna girl… the one I saw in the clinic, I guess.”  

“Oh, that’s great news -- where are they?” asks Tommy, walking close to the table now.

“Oh, yeah… they are in the horse saddlebags.  Dylan put them there when we got out of the restaurant.  I can go and get them, but I don't know where they took the horse after we arrived at the clinic.”

“Oh, Victor must’ve taken him back to the stables, after he left the clinic.  So as soon as I finish with the food, I can go there and bring them back,” says Tommy, smiling.

“Oh, honey, can you go now?  I will finish with the food. I just need to know what Ellie said in that letter,” says Maria, a little desperate.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”  He kisses his wife, goes to the living room, and puts on his coat, boots, hat, and gloves.  The temperature is still low and it’s a long walk to the stables with all the snow that fell the night before.  Half an hour later, Tommy arrives at the stables and is received by Victor.

“Hola, Tommy, Que puedo hacer por usted, this morning?” asks Victor, walking toward him.

Tommy shakes Victor’s hand as soon as he gets close to him.  “Hello, Victor, I just need something from Dylan’s horse. Do you know where he is?”

“Oh, Dylan’s horse… right.  He was too tired and cold when they arrived, so I take him to the back, where is more warm.  Para qué puede estar más caliente… you know.”

“Yeah, of course.  Now if you show me where?... I need to get something from--”

“Oh, you don't need to go back there, I put the saddle on my office… solo ven conmigo,” says Victor as he moves his hand, indicating for Tommy to follow him.  They enter Victor’s little office. He tells Tommy to wait until he goes to find the saddle and bring it back to him. “Here, they not have much in there, but I put all the thing I found in this bag.  I hope you find what you looking for there. Oh, do you know anything about Ellie? I just worry that she not come back with the boy,” says Victor, giving him the thing.

“We don't know much about what happened to her, but I’ll let you know as soon as we find something about her, okay... and thanks, Victor, for taking care of this.  And I’m sure that she is fine, wherever she is now.” Tommy says goodbye to Victor and starts the walk back to his house. After he leaves the stables, Tommy searches the bag that Victor gave him and finds the 2 letters: one addressed to Maria and him, and the other to Jenna.  Since the greenhouse is on the way to his home, he decides to stop there first and give Jenna her letter.

When he arrives at the greenhouse, Jenna is there with her mother, so he gives the letter to her.  He tells Jenna that the woman that came with Dylan remembered that Ellie left her a letter, and one for Maria and himself.  They talk for a few minutes, and after that, Tommy says goodbye to the two women and continues on his way home. He receives a call on the radio from Harold, telling him that they need to cut the water for a few hours so they can work on the freezing pipes.  Tommy gives him the okay, and tells him that he and Maria are going to take the afternoon for themselves, and to only call him for an emergency.

 

( At the greenhouse )

Jenna is sitting with the letter in her hand.  Her mother finishes with some work and comes to  sit beside her. “Why are you still looking at that?  If that’s news from Ellie, why don’t you just open it?”

“I’m just a little afraid, Mother.  I don't know what she’s going to say in here,” says Jenna without looking at her mother.

“Well... if you want to know something about her, this is your chance.  Maybe she’s going to say something important to you. Because if she took the time to write that, it must be important,” says her mother, putting one hand on her shoulder.

Jenna doesn't know if she is going to say something that is only for her.  She knows some of her secrets that she can't let her mother find out, so she asks her mother if she can give her some privacy.  Her mother understands and goes to do something else until her daughter reads the letter. After her mother leaves, Jenna starts to open the letter and read it to herself.  

 

_To my best friend,_

_My dear friend, if you’re reading this, that means that Dylan and Alice arrived safely, and I am glad for that. I just want to let you know that I'm fine, and in good health, so don't worry too much for me.  I don't know how much time has passed since I wrote this and you started to read it. But I hope that everything is fine there. Dylan got hurt when we got attacked by some hunters; don't worry we killed them all and everything ended good, well except for Dylan getting hurt. Anyway I know that he couldn’t continue like that so I decided to send him back. Sorry I didn’t come back with him, but I have a clue to find Joel and I need to continue. You know how much he meant to me, and I’m not going to be the same if I don’t find him. I knew that Dylan and his new girlfriend were going to try to stop me, so I left them a note and two letters before I left.  One for you and one for Tommy and Maria. I hope that everyone there is okay, and say hi to your mother, and the rest of the guys. Sorry I missed the wedding, I know that I promised to be there for you, but finding Joel is taking so long that I'm starting to lose my mind. I have a good feeling that this time I’m going to get some answers in this new town he was at before. So if everything goes right I’ll be back in Jackson with him soon. But I don't know what could happen out here, so if for any reason I can't go back, I want you to know that you were the best person and friend that I’ve had in a long time. I wish the best for you and Brad, and hope that you find your happiness with him. Mine was with Joel and I know that I’m never going to be happy if I lose him. This is not a goodbye, and I’m never going to forget you, so I hope you do the same, I love you and I’m always going to be happy for you. Try not to be sad for me, I’m going to find him and we’ll be there in no time, so we all can be happy together._

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           _See you soon, your best friend Ellie._

  
  


As soon as Jenna finishes the letter, some tears start to fall from her eyes.  Her mother notices when she lowers her head and starts to cry in silence, so she comes to her side and hugs her.

“Don't worry, baby, I know that Ellie is going to find her way back here in no time.  I never understood why she had to go after him when he didn't come back here after 2 years, but I know that she will be coming back soon.”  With that, the two women stay in that hug for a little while, but Jenna feels so bad now because she is the only one that knows the reason why Ellie went after him, and she can’t tell anyone.

 

(Back with Tommy)

Tommy arrives at the house with the letter and Alice’s things.  As soon as he gets inside, he starts to call for both of them when he doesn't see them in the living room.

“She’s not here.  She asked me if she can go to the clinic to check on Dylan and I told her yes.  So you can put her things in the guest room... Did you get the letter?” asks Maria desperately.

Tommy gives the letter to her, then goes to the guest room and puts the bag there.  Maria stays in the living room, looking at the envelope, a little afraid of what Ellie is going to say in there.  When he comes back, she’s sitting on the couch, waiting for him, so he quickly goes to sit beside her. “Do you want me to open it?” he asks softly.

Maria looks at him, then the letter.  “No... it’s okay, I want to read it myself.”  Then she opens the envelope, takes the letter out, and starts to read it.

 

_To: Tommy & Maria _

_Hi, if you’re reading this now, that mean that Dylan and Alice got there safely.  I just want to apologize for not coming back with him, and to tell you not to be worried for me, I’m going to be fine.  Please don't get mad at Dylan, he was a good help, and took care of me the best he could. But since he got hurt, he needed to go back there, but I can’t... not yet. My mission here is not over, and I need to continue with my search. We found this woman and I hope she got there with him, she is a good woman so give her a chance.  After he got hurt, he wanted us to come back, that we spent too much time in this search, but I need to find Joel and I’m not going to rest until I do. I just want you to know that I’m fine and that this was my choice. I know that if he knew what I was going to do, he would try to stop me, and I can’t let that happen. So I wrote a note and two letters, one for you and the other for Jenna, and left that on a table before I left. Then I took one of the horses and went out in the middle of the night. I didn't tell him exactly where I was going, just that it was an outpost in the north.  I took the map that Tommy gave us with me, so that way he can’t follow me, and left another one with just the way to Jackson marked on it. Anyway, I just wanted you to know all that before you got mad at him, because this wasn’t his fault. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself, Joel taught me how. I found some clues on where Bill is, he knows Joel and I know that he can help me to find him. So maybe by the time you two get this, I will be with Joel, Oh man I hope so because this is taking too long. Sorry for all the trouble you got because of me, and I’ll always thank you for being so nice to me. I know that you two are Joel’s family, but I’m glad that you accepted me as family as well.  I know by now Maria must have had the baby, so congratulations to both of you. I’m going to tell Joel that he is going to be an uncle, and I know that he is going to be happy for you too. I hope that we’ll be there soon, to say hi to the little baby. I have to go now, because if I continue with this, I know I’m going to cry, and I don't want to. I love you both, and thanks for giving me a home and letting me be part of your family, that means a lot to me. Love you guys and don’t worry, I’ll be there soon with Joel, well I hope that you’ll welcome us after all this. I’m not going to blame you if you don’t want Joel and me there anymore, but I really hope that we can leave all this in the past, well goodbye and see you soon._

 

_With all my love Ellie._

  


After Maria finishes reading the letter, she starts to cry.  Tommy quickly hugs her and tells her that Ellie is going to be alright.  After a few minutes, she recovers a little and is able to speak. “Oh Tommy… she is alone out there, and we don't  know if she was able to find Joel or not. Do you think that we did the right thing?... I mean to let her go?”

“Babe… I don't know if we did the right thing or not. But like she said, that was her choice, and we did the best we could to protect her. I don't know if by now she is with Joel or not, but Joel told me about this Bill once, and how they did business before, so if Ellie thinks that he knows something, I can check that out.”      

“I know that we need to do something, but you’re thinking about going out there now?” Maria asks, a little worried.

“Not right away.  I’m going to wait until the babies are born and this weather clears up a little. Besides, there’s nothing we can do for now, no car is going to be useful with all that snow out there, and the horses are not going to be good either right now.”

“So what are you going to do when you can go out -- try to find this man... Bill?”

“If he knows something, yes.  Ellie mentioned that he was at an outpost in the north.  There aren’t many of those out there, so we can check the maps we have and try to find which one he’s at.”

“I hope that we can do something to find her… it makes me crazy to think that she is out there alone.”

“Don't worry, we’re going to find her one way or another, okay?” Tommy says, hugging her again and kissing her.

“Thanks, honey, I just need to know if she is okay.”

  


***Three weeks later***

  
  


The following weeks, things continue as normal as possible at Jackson.  The snow starts to get lighter, and the people continue with their work.  A few days after Dylan came back, Tommy managed to get Maria her apple pie, so that kept her happy for a few days.  But even with that, she still worried about Ellie, and waiting for Dylan to get better at the clinic.

In the clinic, things haven’t changed much; Dylan is still in the coma, but the doctor said that he’s responding to the treatment, so he is hoping that he will get better soon.  Alice goes there every day to check on him and help the nurse the best she can. Maria was a little surprised at how this woman was taking care of him. It was a little surprising how these two met and were together for a short time, and got so close.

Tommy finally went to the two boys’ house and talked to their father.  Even though he was grateful that the boys found Dylan and the woman in time to save his life.  It wasn’t right that the boys were going outside alone, so to make sure that that doesn’t happen again, he found some kind of punishment for them.  As Maria was going to give birth any time now, he took care of the town by himself and with the other people in charge of other things. Bob came from the dam a week after Dylan arrived to see how he was doing, and to see if they had any news on Ellie or Joel.   

Alice is in the clinic again, like the last 3 weeks, helping the nurse with Dylan, like washing him, changing his clothes, making sure that everything is fine.  She talks to him sometimes, too, hoping that her voice helps him wake up. After she’s been there an hour, Alice hears a commotion coming from the lobby of the clinic.  She hears someone screaming, and sees Maggie running from one of the rooms toward the lobby.

“Fuuuck… why does this hurt so much Ahhhhhh….”

Tommy is holding Maria’s hand when they enter the clinic, but he finds that that’s a huge mistake when Maria has another contraction and squeezes his hand.  “Ummm… I know that it hurts, babe, but we finally arrived at the clinic, so the doctor can take care of that soon.”

As soon as Maggie gets to them, she starts to help Tommy with his pregnant wife.  Her screams can be heard all over the place. “I am the only one here today, but I already called Dr. Wilson as soon as you made the call, so he and Rose are on the way here,” says the young nurse.

“Oh, that’s okay, but her water broke and we need to get her to the operating room... is that one ready?” asks Tommy, walking his wife into the corridor.  

“Yes, the room is ready, but I need to get a few things before the doc gets here.  C’mon, this way,” says the nurse.

Alice is standing in the doorframe of Dylan’s room when they pass in front of her.  “Hey!... what’s going on, is she hurt or something?” asks Alice, not sure what is happening.

“The babies are coming... now,” says Tommy as soon as they pass her, almost getting to the emergency room.  Alice stays there and watches them go inside and close the door, but Maria’s screaming can be heard through the door.

Tommy and Maggie put Maria on the the bed.  It’s an improvised bed, to help the doctor in the birth process, since they don’t have any of the original ones.  “Help me change her clothes and get her in the robe,” says Maggie to Tommy. “How long are the contractions?”

“I don't know, like every 5 minutes, I guess,” says Tommy as they finish with the clothes.  

“Ahhhhhh… fuck!... where’s the fucking doctor?”

“Okay, make it 3!” says Tommy quickly.

“It’s okay then, we still have some time.  Don’t worry, Maria, everything is going to be fine.”

In that moment, Dr. Wilson enters the room with Rose behind him.  “Okay, how are things going in here?” says Wilson, getting beside the bed where Maria is.

“Her water broke and she’s having contractions every 3 minutes now,” Maggie informs him.

“Okay, things look good.  Maggie, give her something for the pain while Rose and I go change.  Tommy, if you want to be here during the process, you need to put on something clean, too.”     

They all go change, and a few minutes later, they come back to the room.  “Okay, Maria, let’s get those two little ones out, okay?” says Dr. Wilson while Maggie goes out and closes the door behind her, and meets Alice close to the room.    

The process takes more than an hour.  Maria’s screaming can be heard all over the clinic.  Alice and Maggie stay close to the room, waiting for the result.  When they hear the first baby crying, the two women are happy for them.  Inside, Dr. Wilson passes the first baby to Rose so she can clean her up.  “Okay, the first one is a girl, congratulations,” says the doctor, smiling at them, then moves to his previous position to get the other one out.  “Okay, Maria, you’re doing great, now we need to get her sister or brother out, so are you ready to do this again?” asks the doctor, smiling.

“ I don't know... I feel so tired, and still hurt.”

“I know, babe, but you can do this, I know you can, so let's finish this!” says Tommy, grabbing her hand and giving her a kiss.  After that, the whole process starts again.

After 20 minutes, another cry can be heard inside the room.  “It’s a boy,” says Dr. Wilson, passing the other baby to Rose.  Tommy is holding Maria’s hands and giving her some support while the nurse prepares the 2 babies for their parents to meet.  Maria feels all tired out, but manages to smile when she sees Rose coming closer with the two babies in her arms.

“Here!... Congratulations, you are now the parents of two healthy babies,” says Rose, passing the two little ones to Maria.  They both smile as they take in the new two citizens of Jackson. “I will go and tell Maggie to prepare a room for you and the babies.”

“A room?  I thought that we can go home as soon as Maria recovers her strength,” says Tommy, looking at the doctor now.  

“It’s just for a few days, so we can make sure that Maria and the babies are going to be fine,” says Dr. Wilson, looking at them while Maria is holding the two babies on her arms. “So you have a name for them?” asks the doctor.

“Yes, we have a few in mind as we weren’t sure if they were going to be two boys or two girls, but now that we have one of each, I think that we can choose the one we like most,” says Maria, kissing the babies on the forehead and passing the girl to Tommy. “The girl’s name is going to be Jolene.”

Tommy pulls up the girl in his hands and puts her in front of his face. “Hey, little Jolene, here’s your daddy,” then Tommy kisses the girl on her forehead as the baby smiles at him and giggles a little.

“The boy’s name is going to be Robert, like my father.” Maria kisses the boy and passes him to Tommy while he passes the girl back to her.

“Come here, little Robert, come and meet your daddy,” says Tommy, smiling and doing the same as he did with his daughter.  The baby smiles too, then gives him a big yawn. “Uh-oh, I think this one is hungry!” Tommy says, smiling.

 

(Outside the room)

Maggie has gone to do other things, so Alice asks Rose as soon as she passes in front of her if everything is okay with the babies.  Rose tells her that everything went well and that now Tommy and Maria have a boy and a girl. Alice feels happy for them, and asks the nurse when she can go and see her.  She knows that she’s new in town, but already feels close to Maria, since she’s been living in her house for the last 3 weeks. The nurse tells her that she can go to see her as soon as she gets moved to another room.  Alice thanks her, and Rose continues on her way. After Rose is gone, Alice hears some noise inside the room, and when she walks inside to check, she is surprised when she sees Dylan with his eyes open.

“Oh, my God!... Dylan, you’re awake!” says Alice, moving close to his bed.

“A-Alice?... what’s going on... where are we?” asks Dylan in a lower voice, disoriented.

“We are in Jackson… we made it,” says Alice with a happy voice.

“Jackson?... but how… when… I don't remember getting here… what happened?” Dylan starts to ask a lot of questions, but is really surprised when Alice goes almost on top of him and hugs him.

“Well, that is a long story… but we can talk about that later, oh God… I almost thought that you were never going to wake up,” says Alice with some tears in her eyes.

“Wake up?... who can sleep here… with all that screaming… what is going on here?” asks Dylan, clueless.

“Oh, that was Maria,” she says, now sitting on the bed beside him.

“Maria?... what, was she hurt or something?”

“No, she was giving birth to her babies.”

“What do you mean… babies?” Dylan asks, surprised.

“Oh, yeah, Maria told me that you didn't know... Well, for your information, she just had twins.”

“TWINS!”


	30. Time Passes Fast when you're out there

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to the present Ellie and Joel continue their travel back to Jackson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 29 : Time Passes Fast when you're out there**  

  


***Back to the present***

  
  


A month has passed since Ellie and Joel left the cabin in a hurry.  Going down the mountain has been more difficult than they thought, even though it’s the first week of May and it’s not so cold now.  At first, they were sleeping out in the forest most of the time, since there weren’t many places to spend the night out there. Some nights, they got lucky and found a car or a truck that wasn’t completely fucked up to sleep in.  But the rest of the time, they have to make a campfire to pass the night. After a time, they start to hunt when their supplies start to get low. They got lucky sometimes and found a few animals to hunt during the trip down. After they got down from the mountain where the cabin was, they found a little ghost town, so Joel and Ellie decided to go scavenge for any food or things that can be useful for them.  Unfortunately, the only thing they found there was a horde of infected, so they had to flee from there as fast as they can.

Joel and Ellie continue their travel to the south.  They need to get to the state of South Dakota, then move to the west to enter the state of Wyoming.  But before they got to the state border, Joel told Ellie that he knew a place where he traded before. The place was like a week after they crossed the border, so that was close for them.  But Joel also told her that they need to be careful, because the people there are not so nice, like other small towns out there. The place was run by people that look more like hunters, but they like to trade for all types of things: weapons, slaves, food, or whatever you need to survive these days.  Joel knew that that place wasn’t too good to take Ellie, but since they hadn’t been able to find food lately, that was the only place that was close to them where they could find some supplies and food. Lucky for them, these people had rules, and if you went there to trade, they wouldn’t bother you much.  Anyway, they needed to be careful and keep their eyes open.

Joel noticed that Ellie was getting impatient to find a place to spend a few days.  She complained that her feet hurt, or her stomach, and that they needed to rest. So going to that place to trade and sleep in a bed looked so good to her.  But Joel suspected that the real reason was because her birthday was coming in two weeks, and that she wanted to be in a nice room to celebrate that. Joel didn’t think that was a good idea to celebrate her birthday there, but maybe it was better than doing that in the forest.

It is the middle of the day when Joel and Ellie are running for their lives in the middle of the forest.  After a good run, Joel stops and reclines himself against a tree, gasping for air. “Wait!... I think… that… we… lost it,” says Joel, trying to get some air in his lungs.   

Ellie stops running and turns to look at him, then she walks back until she‘s standing beside him.  “Are you okay?” asks Ellie, a little worried.

“Yeah, yeah… I'm fine, just need a little air... shit, that bear was really pissed... I never saw a animal … chase someone that long,” answers Joel.   

“Well, that happens when you kill her little baby… man, you were lucky that it didn’t jump at you faster,” says Ellie, moving away.  “And that thing was huge… wow, I’ve never seen an animal that big. And you were running so fast… after the bear attacked you, wow, why didn't you shoot it?” Ellie continues moving around and moving her hand, trying to mimic him.   

“Well, for starters, I didn't know that the mother was going to be so close.  And second, I didn’t have too much time to shoot her, after that thing jumped at me.  But if I remember right, you were there too, so why didn’t you shoot her?”

“Are you crazy!... I only have a bow and arrows, and I didn't think that that was going to kill that thing.”

“Well, we lost that meat now, and we could use the skin to trade, too.”

“Well, we can go back with the guns out this time and kill the mother, maybe we--”

“No!... that’s not going to be a good idea.  Trying to hunt a pissed off bear is going to be more difficult now.  Besides, we don't know if Daddy is close too now. So it’s better to move on, and try to find something else,” says Joel, starting to move away from the tree.

“How far is that outpost you mentioned before?” asks Ellie while she starts to walk behind him.

Joel stops and takes the map out of his front shirt pocket and starts to look at it. “Well, if my calculations are correct, we’re going to be there in less than two weeks,” answers Joel, folding the map and putting it back in his pocket.

Ellie moves to his side and grabs her canteen, and drinks some of the water. “Well, that’s still a long walk from here, and after that bear chased us, we need to find some food and a place to spend the night… here,” says Ellie, offering the canteen to Joel.   

Joel grabs the canteen and drinks from it, then he gives it back to Ellie. “Well, it’s better to move away from here a little more, just in case that bear is still in the area.  Maybe we can find a river close to here and see if we can fish something.”

“Well, that sounds good to me, so let’s go,” says Ellie while she starts walking again.

After one hour, Joel and Ellie find a little river.  It isn’t big, but deep enough to take a bath and wash their clothes.  Joel tells Ellie that maybe they’ll get lucky and find some fish in there, too.

They stay there for the rest of the day to get some rest and eat.  Joel goes to fish while Ellie prepares a camp fire to spend the night.  Even though the summer is close, they’re still up north, so the nights are a little chilly.  While Joel is gone, Ellie goes to the river and washes their dirty clothes. An hour later, Joel comes back with two beavers that he found up the river while he was looking for a spot to fish.  Joel cleans the dead animals while Ellie finishes with the washing, then he puts them on the fire to get cooked. When Ellie finishes, she walks back to the little camp they made and puts the clothes out to dry.  Then she moves close to Joel and stands in front of him. “Hey, the water isn’t so cold, so maybe we can take a bath, don’t you think?” asks Ellie with a smile on her face.

Joel takes a look at her, knowing what she is planning to do.  “You go ahead, kiddo, I’ll stay here and watch the food,” answers Joel, shifting his gaze to the dead animals on the fire.

“Ahhhh… c`mon… you need to take a bath too, and it’s more fun if we do it together,” says Ellie while starting to unbutton her shirt.  “C`mon, Joel, I promise that we’re only going to take a bath. What else can we do here ummm… we’re in the middle of the forest, and it’s not like we have some privacy here.  Even though there’s nobody here, except us.”

“Yeah, you always say that, and later we end up doing some other things, remember?” says Joel, still looking at the fire.  

“What!... that’s not true, you’re such a liar... Well, that’s your loss, anyway, so stay here and watch the... meal.”  Ellie says the last part with a sexy voice as she finishes unbuttoning her shirt. She drops it to the ground and turns around.  Then she starts to walk toward the river again, shaking her ass at Joel. In just her panties, she moves her body in a sexy way while she walks to the river, trying to get Joel’s attention.  As soon as she gets to the shore of the river, she stops and turns her head to see if Joel is watching. When she sees that he isn’t, she bends down, taking off the last piece of underwear she’s wearing, then asks Joel to bring her the soap.  Ellie stays like that for a moment without looking back, but smiles when she hears Joel moving to stand up, so she knows that her trick worked out.

_Fuck, girl, you’re going to kill me one of these days_ , says Joel to himself while he observes Ellie entering the river wearing nothing.  So he grabs the soap and starts to take off his clothes until he has nothing left, and walks to the river.  When he enters the water, Ellie is already in the middle of the river; the water is deep enough to cover her body.  She smiles when she sees Joel shaking a little when he’s getting close to her. “I thought you said that the water was good,” Joel said when finally he gets in front of her.

“Yeah, I said it wasn’t so cold, not that it was warm, but I think that we can change that, don’t you think?” says Ellie, putting her arm around his neck.

“You’re evil… you know that, don’t you?” answers Joel, putting his arm around her waist.

“Yeah I know… but you like it… right?” Ellie says in a sexy voice, then pulls Joel down and starts to kiss him. Joel returns the kiss and pulls her closer until their bodies are touching, and they continue with the making out for a while.

 

( Two hours later)

Joel and Ellie go back to the campfire after they finish with their bath at the river.  They dry off and put on some clean clothes that they still have. Then they sit on a log close to the fire and start to eat.

“It’s a shame that we can’t do anything else out here,” says Ellie while she takes a bite of her food and looks at Joel.  “Do you think it might be possible to find a house or something in this area?”

“I don't know, but we can continue this path to check if we can find one.  A lot of people build cabins or houses close to the rivers, for water and food supply.”

“Oh, that could be great -- it’s going to be good to sleep inside for a change.  I’m starting to miss the cabin now.”

“Yeah, I miss it too, but things are going to be better when we get back to Jackson.  And if we don't find anything here, the outpost is going to be a little more than a week’s walk.  So we can have some rest there, and decent food too,” says Joel while he finishes eating his food.

When they finish, the night is starting to fall, so they prepare the sleeping bag they have and try to get some sleep.  It is still early, but they need to get up first thing in the morning so it’s better for them to get a good rest. As soon as Joel lays down in the sleeping bag, Ellie gets down and positions herself beside him, with her head and one hand on his chest.  Joel puts one arm around her and pulls her close, and kisses her on the top of her head.

“Joel!...”

“Ummm!”

“I love you…” whispers Ellie while she moves her finger on his shirt.

“I know, kiddo… I love you too,” answers Joel while he moves his hand on top of her arm.

“Do you think that Tommy and Maria are going to be… you know... okay with this?”

“I don't know, kiddo, for some people it seems wrong for a man of my age to be with a teenage girl like you. And even though there’s no law against that now, some people are going to think that I'm a perv.” _Shit, I still think that all this is still wrong._

“That’s stupid, because you’re not.  I’m an adult now, and I’m going to be 19 when we get back, so I’m not going to be a kid anymore.  Anyway, this is going to be my decision, not theirs.”

“It ain’t that simple, kiddo, some people are going to think that I’m taking advantage of you.”

“I don't care what other people say -- we don`t get into other people's business, so why are they going to get into ours?”

“That may be true, but it’s going to be hard for us if people start to complain, and try to convince Tommy and Maria to throw us out of town... well, more me than you.  And that’s if Maria or Tommy don`t do it first, as soon as they find out.”

Ellie moves her head up and looks at him. “Joel, what are you trying to say -- that we should keep this a secret?... You don't want to tell them?” says Ellie, more serious now.

“I’m not saying that, but the truth is that I don't know what they’re going to say.  But we can talk about that another day, so try to get some rest, kiddo.”

“Wow, wow… do you think that I’m going to sleep with all that in my mind?”

“Ellie, it’s okay, we don't need to talk about this now... it’s going to take at least two months to get back to Jackson, so we have plenty time for that,” says Joel, trying to convince her.

“But you’re thinking about that possibility... right?... Arrrggg.”  Ellie stands up from the sleeping bag and moves away, not looking at Joel for a moment.  “I thought that we got past all this, Joel. You told me that us being together was okay with you.”

Joel gets up, walks close to her, and puts his hand on her shoulder.  He makes her turn around so she can see his face. “Yes, I did, and it’s okay.  I made my decision before we got out of the cabin. But I don't know what my brother and Maria are going to think about all this,” says Joel, looking in her sad eyes.

“But I love you, Joel, and I don't want us to be a secret.  I know that this is going to be more difficult for you, but I don't want to lie.  I don’t want us to hide our feelings because we have an age difference.”

“I know, and don’t worry, we can talk about this when we’re closer to Jackson.  We can discuss this and decide together what we’re going to do or say when we get back there.  But for now, let's get some rest, okay?” says Joel, smiling and then kissing her on the forehead.

“You promise that we’re going to make that decision together?” Ellie asks him, looking him in the eye.

“Yes, I promise!... now let's go and try to get some sleep, kiddo.” Joel puts his arm around her shoulder and starts walking back to the sleeping bag.

“Okay… but if you need them to treat me like an adult, you have to stop calling me that,” says Ellie, smiling at him while they go back to their earlier position in the sleeping bag.      

 

( Two days later )

Joel and Ellie continue their travel following the river shore. They find a few structures close to the river, but all of them were almost destroyed are much too damaged after being abandoned for a long time.  It’s late afternoon when Ellie sees something in the distance that looks like an old house. She is on top of a rock close to the river, looking down the hill with their binoculars.

“Hey, Joel, I see something down the hill that looks like a house,” says Ellie, pointing in that direction.  Joel moves close to her, and Ellie passes the binoculars to him. “Look! Down on the right… see!”

“Yeah, it looks like a roof, but that could be anything,” says Joel, lowering the binoculars and looking at her.

“I know, but what if it’s a house?  Or at least a good place to sleep tonight.  What do you think, can we go and check?” asks Ellie, smiling.

“Well, I guess we can go and check.  It’s going to take like an hour to get down there, but it’s not going to take us far away from our route, so I think it’s okay.”

“Yayyyy….” Ellie says happily, then she jumps down the rock.  They start to get down the hill, but the terrain gets more difficult as they get close to the supposed house which is farther into the forest.  After one hour of walking and climbing their way down, they arrive at the part of the forest that faces the back of the house. They stop a few feet away and hide behind some trees while they look around to check if there’s anyone else there.

“Well, it’s a house, alright… it ain’t big, but looks to be in good condition from here,” says Joel after inspecting the area.  

“Do you think that someone’s been living there?” asks Ellie, looking at the house.

“I don't know, but if we’re going to check it out, it’s better to be careful... So take your gun out and follow me.”  Ellie does as Joel says and takes her gun out. She follows Joel until they get close to the back door of the house.

The surroundings of the house are almost clean; not much garbage and only a few old rusty things there.  The place also has a small hovel that looks like a latrine just a few feet away from the house. Joel gets close to the back door, grabs the door knob, and notices that the door is not locked.  “This place looks too clean for being abandoned for so long, so it’s possible that some people are still living in here,” says Joel, looking at Ellie before he opens the door.

“I don’t hear anything from inside, but do you think that it’s better if we call first and see if someone answers?” asks Ellie behind him.

“I don’t want to announce our presence here if this house belong to hunters or something like that.  So I will go first to check and you stay here and watch the back, just in case, okay?”

“Joel, I’m not going to wait here for something bad to happen.  I pre-”

“I need you to watch my back, okay?  Just stay here and make sure no one comes this way.  I want this way clear if we have to move fast.”

“Fine!... but I’m going inside if you take too much time in there,” says Ellie, protesting.

“Just keep your eyes open, okay?” Then Joel proceeds to open the door and walk inside.  A small corridor after the door leads to the living room of the house. It’s not big, but looks clean, not like other abandoned houses they’ve gone inside before.  So Joel thinks that there definitely has to be someone living in there, or that they moved recently. The illumination inside comes from the daylight that passes through the windows.  He can see the stairs that lead to the second floor of the small house, probably where the bedrooms are. Joel continues moving through the house until he sees the entrance of the kitchen.  Joel is as silent as possible, trying not to alert anyone that could be in there. He is walking, pointing his gun in front of him, as soon as he enters the kitchen. He doesn't find anyone there, either, but the kitchen looks clean, too.  Joel moves close to the stove where he can see 2 pots on the top, like someone was about to start cooking. He moves close and opens one to see if they have any food in there. But as soon as he does, he can see that it’s clearly not food in it. That starts to make Joel think about this place.  

“Did you find something?” says Ellie as soon as she enters the kitchen, and makes Joel jump when he hears Ellie’s voice.

“What the fuck!... are you trying to give me a heart attack?... what are you doing here, anyway -- didn't I tell you to watch the back?” asks Joel, a little irritated.

“Yeah, you did, but I checked the back of the house and I didn't see anyone, and you’ve been here for more than 20 minutes so I--”

“What makes you think that I’ve been here that long?... and how do you know that there’s no people here?  Look around here and tell me what you see?” asks Joel, pointing to the stove, and to the rest of the place.    

“What do you want me to see?  I already know this is a kitchen,” says Ellie sarcastically.

“Yeah, very funny… did you think that this place could be this clean if it was abandoned for this long?”

“Oh, you mean the pots over there!... is there any food in them?” asks Ellie, walking close to the stove and looking inside a pot. “Ahhh, there’s no food in it.”

“This is serious, Ellie, we need to get out of here before the people living here come back.”

“You don't need to get mad -- I was just joking around.  Besides, if there are people living here, maybe we can ask them for food, or see if they can let us stay here for the night, don’t you think?”

“I don’t think that the people living in here are going to give us anything, so it’s better--” Joel stops when he hears something in the living room.  “Did you hear that?”

“Yep!” says Ellie as she starts to move to the entrance of the kitchen with her gun ready.  But as soon as she walks out, a small figure is standing in the middle of the living room. “Hey, kid… don't be afraid, I’m not going to hurt you,” Ellie starts to say to the little kid in front of her while she moves her gun to the side.

The kid just stays there looking at her for a moment, and when he sees the gun in her hand, the boy screams.  “Aaaahhh!” Then he starts running away toward the front door.

Joel comes out of the kitchen, pointing the gun as soon as he hears that.  “What was that?” he asks desperately as he stands beside Ellie.

“It was just a kid... he just got scared when he saw me with the gun, so he ran away.  I’d better go after him and make sure he’s fine.” Ellie runs toward the front door, trying to get the little kid.

“Ellie, what are you doing... wait!” Joel starts to run after her, and tries to grab her arm.  

But as soon as Ellie gets to the front door, she stops with a surprised expression.  “Oh, fuck!”

_Ka-boom!_


	31. The Forest Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joel and Ellie found a house in the forest, but that is not the only thing they found there.

**Disclaimer** : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention. 

* * *

 

**Chapter 30 : The Forest Family**

  
  
  
  


_ Ka-boom!...  _

“ELLIE!!!...” Joel screams as soon as he hears the shot.  From his position inside the house, he can’t see Ellie outside, so he runs toward the front door with his gun out and starts to panic.  When he gets outside, he sees Ellie on the floor on the other side of the entrance, face down on the ground.  _ Oh, no, no, no… nooo. _  He moves quickly to Ellie’s side and kneels beside her.  He grabs her shoulder and starts to turn her around when he hears the reloading of a shogun at the front of the house.  He quickly points his gun in the direction of the sound and sees the little kid embracing the leg of an older woman who looks like she’s between 40 and 50.

“Drop your weapon, mister -- I don't like to kill people if I don't have to, especially in front of my son.”

“You don't like to kill people?... then why did you shoot a girl without a warning… ummm?” says Joel in a furious tone, pointing his gun at the woman.

“I call it self defense; you’re trespassing on my property with guns, and she was chasing my son, so what do you expect?  Look, I don't want any more trouble, so it’s better if you drop your gun now.” 

“If you killed her?... you’re already going to be in trouble, and--” Joel stops when he hears a groan coming from Ellie, so he looks at her for a second.  “Are you okay?” 

Ellie moves up into a sitting position.  “Shit, that hurt.” She puts one hand on her forehead and when she moves it down, she sees a little blood on her hand.

“Ellie, you’re bleeding?... where did she shoot you?” asks Joel, looking at the woman again. 

“Joel, I’m fine, she didn't hit me… I just hit my head on the floor when I dodged the shot.” 

“Are you sure?... are you sure that she didn't hit you?”

“Yeah, Joel, I’m sure,” says Ellie, punting her hand back on her head.

“Now, lady, there’s only one way to resolve this, and that is--”

“Yeah, and that is, you dropping your weapon, before I blow your head off,” says another woman, standing behind him with a gun pointing at his head.  Her voice sounds younger so Joel is guessing that she’s no more than 25. 

“What took you so long?... they almost got your little brother,” says the older woman with a louder voice.

“Sorry, mother, but I was at the river fishing, and when I heard the shot, I came here as fast as I could,” explains the young woman without taking her eyes off Joel.. 

“Look, we don't want to make any trouble.  We thought that the house was empty,” says Ellie, looking at the older woman. 

“I don't care what you thought -- tell your father to drop the weapon before my daughter shoots him.”  

“Oh, he’s not my--” Ellie starts to say, but Joel speaks before she can finish. 

“Okay, let’s not go crazy here… my daughter and I were just passing through when we saw the house.  We’re traveling to the south, and we haven’t been eating or sleeping well for a few weeks,” says Joel while he puts the weapon on the ground.

“Yeah, and you want me to believe that… right?” says the older woman, then she looks at her boy.  “Stay here, okay, while Mommy takes care of this,” she says to the little kid.

“Okay, I lowered my gun, lady.  Now can we talk about this?... we don't want any trouble.  If it helps, we didn't come here to rob you or anything like that,” Joel starts to explain while the woman starts walking toward them with her gun pointing at him.

“Well, this is our house, so you can see that it’s not abandoned.  And now that you know we live here, we have a little problem with that,” says the woman as soon as she gets close to Joel.

“So now what!... you’re going to kill us?... Look, we were only looking for a place to pass the night, we’re not going to hurt anyone… Sorry I scared your son and--” Ellie stops when the older woman looks at her.

“And how do we know if you two are telling us the truth, ummm,” says the young woman.  

“That’s right.  And as far as I can see, you two could be part of a large group of hunters or something like that.  So the problem now is, what are we going to do with you two?” adds the mother, looking to both of them.

“We ain’t part of any group, okay, but if we can talk this out, maybe we can come to an understanding,” says Joel, looking at the older woman.

“Yeah, we can help you,” adds Ellie.

“Understanding?... on what? We have the guns and the power to do whatever we want with you two. So I don't see in what way you can help us.” The woman looks at Ellie with some curiosity. 

“How old are you, girl?” asks the older woman.

Ellie looks at the woman with serious eyes. “Why?... you don't want to kill a kid?”

“Ellie!...” says Joel with a hard voice, looking at her, but then he looks back at the older woman.  “Look, if you want to do something, do it to me and let her go -- she’s only 18.” 

“No fucking way!  I’m not going anywhere without you -- and I’m almost 19,” says Ellie, protesting to Joel, then she looks at the older woman. “So if you’re going to kill us, just do it.”  

“Okay, you two, stand up, c`mon, do it quick, I don't have all day.”

“Mom, what are we going to do with them?” 

“I don't know yet, but let’s get them inside for now.  But before that, you two take off your backpacks and leave them on the floor with the rest of your guns and bow,” orders the woman.

Joel and Ellie stand up.  Ellie is about to protest, but Joel gives her a look to let her know that everything is going to be fine for now.  But Ellie isn’t going to give up so easily, and she definitely isn’t going to give them her mother’s knife that she always keeps in her pants.    

The mother orders them to get inside after the young woman ties up their hands.  Then she tells her daughter to get the packs and get her brother inside while she takes the unwelcome visitors inside.  After they get in, she orders them to sit on the old couch in the living room while still pointing her gun at them. Joel isn’t happy with the situation, and if they were men, things would maybe go a different way.  But he doesn't like to kill women unless it’s completely necessary, especially one with a family. But thinking on that, Joel notices something: it’s been less than an hour, and there’s no sign of any male in the house... no husband or brother.  And he finds that really strange, and wonders why an old woman, a young daughter, and a little kid are living in the middle of the forest without any men. 

Ellie is starting to get impatient; she doesn't like to be in this position, or that people are looking in her backpack, checking her stuff.  She is surprised that Joel seems so calm; she knows that he hasn’t done anything yet because they’re women and have the little kid. But she knows that they need to do something before the women decide to kill them. After watching the young woman checking her bag for a while, she is going to say something, but Joel speaks first.    

“When are they getting back?” asks Joel quickly.

“What?... what do you mean by that?” asks the older woman. 

“I mean your husband, or whatever man that you live here with.  Or you live here alone with your daughter and little kid?” asks Joel.

“Not that any of that is your business, but yeah, my husband and older son are out hunting.  And they’re coming back soon, so don't try anything stupid just because we are women.” 

“This looks pretty clean… have you been living here for a long time?” Joel continues asking the woman questions.

The woman looks at him directly, with curious eyes.  “Are you trying to make conversation, or just trying to get some information out of me?  Because neither of those are going to work.” The woman turns her head a little to check on her daughter at the table close to the kitchen.  “Did you find anything interesting in their bags?” 

“Not much... they don’t have any food, but have a few changes of clothes, and a few small things.  But they have a lot of bullets in here, and two extra guns, and that’s not including the rifle, the bow and arrows, the shotgun, and the knife we took off of them,” says the young woman.

“Well, well, you are well-packed for just an old man and his little girl.  Do you want to explain that?”

“Like you said to us, that’s none of your fucking business, and I’m not a fucking little girl--” Ellie is going to stand up from the couch, but Joel holds her down. 

“Jesus, girl… can you take it easy!” says Joel calmly. 

“Take it easy?  How much longer are we going to be like this?  And if you’re not going to do something about it, then--”

“Are you crazy, girl?... do you want to get--” starts the woman when she’s interrupted by some shooting outside.

_ Ka-boom!   Ka-boom! _

The woman quickly drops herself to the floor as soon as she hears the shooting.  Joel quickly grabs Ellie and drops to the ground, too. “What the hell is that?” asks Joel, looking at the woman.

“You’re asking me?... are those friends of yours?” she asks as a few more shots can be heard outside.  “Because if they are, this isn’t going to end well, and--”

“Hey, Julia!... I know you’re in there… those were only warning shots, so it’s better for you if you just send her out, and we leave in peace, don't you think?” a man’s voice can be heard outside.

“Shit!... That motherfucker again.  I thought he was gone for good this time.  Lucy, go upstairs and protect your brother.  I will take care of this, okay?” says the mother.

The young woman takes her gun and moves quickly up the stairs.  The mother moves from the ground and gets close to the door, and starts looking outside, through the window beside the door. 

The windows doesn't have any glass, so they are covered with wood plates.  After a quick look, she can’t see how many people are outside, but she suspects that it’s more than one.  She needs to resolve this before the night comes, so she looks back where Joel and Ellie are still hiding behind the couch.  “You two don't try anything... all this is not going to change anything--” 

“I think this changes a lot… do you think that you can hold us here and fight those men outside?” says Ellie, moving a little, but Joel is still keeping her down.

“I can still shoot you, so that part of the problem can be solved.” 

“Yeah, and what are you going to do after that -- are you going to fight those guys by yourself?... who are they, anyway?” says Joel, looking at the woman. 

“Hey, Julia!... I know that your husband and your older son are not there.  So why not resolve this like civilized people?” the man outside starts to say. 

“Fuck you, Chuck!... I still have some guns, and if you try to get in here, I will shoot you in the balls.” 

“Oh, that’s not very nice, I don't want to hurt anybody… I just want what is mine!” says the man. 

“She is not yours, you asshole, how many times do we have to tell you that?  So it’s better for you if you go away and never come back. Because if my husband comes back and finds you here, he is going to kill you this time.”

Elle finishes cutting her rope with her knife and passes it to Joel.  After he finishes, Joel takes the opportunity from the distraction to send Ellie to get the guns from the table while he moves close to the woman.  “Who the hell is this guy?” asks Joel. 

The woman looks at him, surprised.  “What are you doing?... I already told you not to move.”    

“It’s too late for that now, lady... here, Joel,” says Ellie from behind the woman, passing Joel his shotgun and bag.  She’s already finished putting hers on, and has the rifle in her hand. 

“What the hell?” the woman looks at Ellie now.

“Look, lady,” Joel answers, “I'm sorry if you don't trust us, but it seems like things are changing now, and we’re not going to stay here, waiting for those men to come in here and shoot at us, too.  As far as I can see, this is your problem, not ours, so if you don’t mind, we’re going to get out of here.”

“Are we going, Joel?” Ellie is going to walk toward the back door, when the woman tells her to stop.”

“You can’t go now… if you want to live, of course.  He probably brought his buddies with him, and they’re obviously watching the back, too.” 

Joel looks at Ellie, then looks at the woman.  “How many do you think they are?... Because I think we can handle them.”

“I’m not sure... he and his friend live in a cabin across the river.  There were only 3 of them, but he went away for a few months, so I don't know how many he brought this time.  Look, sorry for the way I treated you both, but you need to understand that I was only protecting my family.”

“Yeah, we can understand that, but who is this guy anyway and what does he want with you?” asks Ellie, walking back close to Joel. 

“He was my daughter’s boyfriend for a time… we’ve been living here for the last 3 years.  His father was my husband’s friend, and together, we lived in this area in peace. We took care of the infected we found in the beginning in this area, and made sure to keep away any other intruders. His father was a hunter, so we didn't have any problems with the food.  But after the animals start to get fewer and hunting was more difficult, the problems started.” 

“So you know each other?” asks Ellie

“Yeah, our family got closer when my daughter started to go out with his son, and after a while, they became more than friends.  But one time, he went away on a trip and came back with 2 other guys. He said that he found them in a small town, and that they offered to help us here. After that, everything changed... he and his new friend started to do bad things, killing animals for no reason, and after his father died on a hunting trip, they become more aggressive with my daughter.  

“More aggressive?” asks Ellie curiously.

“Yeah, he and his buddies tried to rape my daughter in his house, and when my husband found out, he went over there with my older son and beat them up.  He warned them to get out of here or next time he was going to kill them. After that, they didn’t come back. And that was 4 months ago, but now he is back again.”  

“When are your husband and son coming back?” asks Joel.

“I’m not sure... they went out to hunt 2 days ago, but he said that the trip was going to take more time to get back here.  So I don't know when they’re going to come back.”

“Do you have more guns, or bullets?... anything that you can use to defend yourself?” asks Ellie.

“No, my husband took the hunting rifle, and we only have a 9mm gun and this rifle.  But we don't have too many bullets for this.” 

Joel moves away from the door and looks at Ellie.  “Okay, we’re going to help you, but you need to do what I tell you, okay?  Ellie, go to the second floor and talk to... What is your daughter’s name?” Joel turns and asks the mother.

“Lucy, and my son’s name is Angel.  When you get up there, tell her that I sent you and that everything is going to be fine.”

“Okay…” Ellie looks at Joel, and he just gives her a gesture to go.

The woman watches Ellie go up, then she turns and looks at Joel.  “Why do you two want to help us?... after what we did.” 

“Well, right now we don't have much of a choice… But like I told you before, we didn’t come here to hurt anybody.  We only want something to eat and to sleep for the night. Now it seems we’re not going to be able to get out of here without getting shot.  Maybe it’s better if we finish this together.”

“Thank you, to you and your daughter, and I’m really sorry for all this,” says the woman with a lower and sad voice.

“Oh, don't worry, I would do the same if I was in your shoes.  Now we need to know how many there are.”

“C’mon, Julia… just give me my honey baby and we’ll go in peace.” 

Joel looks at the door, and back to the woman.  “We don't have much time.”

 

(10 minutes later, outside)

“What the hell are we waiting for?  They are only an old woman, and the 2 kids with her.  So I don't see what the problem is,” says one of the young men. 

“Yeah, you promised us some action, and to have some fun.”  

“Not with my girl, you idiots.  You can have the mother if you want.  And I know what I’m doing. I know these people, so it’s better if we wait until night to go inside.”

“I don't know why -- we are 6 and they’re just 2 women and a kid.”

“Well, if you want to die, go ahead, but remember that I warned you,” Chuck says to the other young man with him.  “Also, I want to remind you that I'm the boss here, okay? And all of you are going to do what I tell you to do. Inside the house, they have food, liquor, and a few guns that we can use.”    

“Yeah, but you promised us women, too, and now you want her all for yourself.”

“Listen, you little fuck, I'm in charge of this group now, so stop the whining and do what I say.”

“Yes, boss,” say the 3 men with him.

“Okay, it’s almost dark, so this is our chance to get inside.  Hey, you!... Go to the back and tell Johnson and the other boys that we going to start in 30 minutes.  The rest of you are coming with me. And remember, try not to kill anyone. We want them alive, especially my girl.” With that, the 4 men start to prepare themselves to enter the house. 

30 minutes later, the men outside start to move close to the house.  Ellie is at one of the bedroom windows that faces the front of the house.  Darkness starts to fall, so she can’t see much outside. The only things that Ellie can see are shadows, so shooting them from there is going to be more difficult.  But Joel just told her to let him know when they were coming to the house, not to shoot them.

The house is small, so starting a gunfight in there is not going to be a good idea.  So Joel sent all the girls up and told them to be prepared in case some of them go up there.  Joel told them that the best way to do this is a stealth kill, so they turned off all the lights in the house.  Joel took his hunting knife and hid on the first floor. They barricaded the front door to delay the ones in the front, but left the back door open.  The plan was to divide them in two groups, so that way, he can kill them without them noticing him. Of course, Ellie isn’t too happy with that, but Joel convinces her to stay on the second floor and cover him if necessary.    

The men at the front door start to hit the door when they can’t open it.  “What the hell are you waiting for… just open the door!” says Chuck to one of his men. 

“Sorry, but the door won’t open... they must’ve secured it on the other side.”

“Not shit, genius!... just break one of the windows so we can go in.” 

“Boss, the front windows don’t have any glass... they covered them with wood.”

“Jesus Christ, do I have to do everything?... just start to kick the door down, and open it.  And you go around and see if you can find a way in.” 

“What about the back door?” asks another man.

“We have that one covered, but go anyway and check if they go in.”

In the back of the house, another 3 men go in without much difficulty.  The 3 men walk down the little corridor that leads to the living room, using their flashlight to check the place.  After they arrive at the living room, they hear the front door getting hit and their boss talking outside. 

“Hey, boss, is that you?” asks one of the men. 

“Yes, you idiot!... who else can it be?  The door won't open, so move and open the door... Did you find them?” asks Chuck.

“No, we just entered, but we didn't see anyone on the first floor.  So they must be on the second one.”

“What idiots -- they don’t have any way out from there... we have them now.  See if you can open the door from inside.”

“Okay, boss.  Hey! You!... go check the kitchen, and you -- help me with the door, okay?”  While the 2 men start to work on the door, the other one goes to the kitchen to check if he can find someone there.

As soon as he enters, Joel grabs him by the neck with his arm and starts to choke the man.  The man struggles, but can’t do much to get out of Joel’s grip, so after a minute, Joel drops him to the floor. 

After Joel lets him down, dead, he notices that the person is not older than 20.  So they must be just a little gang of young people. He moves out of the kitchen and sees 2 more at the front door; they don’t notice him, so it’s going to be easier for him to take care of them.  But when he takes out his knife, another man enters through the back door and sees him. 

“Hey, the husband is here!” says the man when he sees Joel.  He was going to shoot, but Joel runs toward him and tackles the man through the back door of the house.  The other 2 men turn around when they hear the commotion and point their guns in that direction. 

“What’s going on in there?” asks Chuck quickly.

They finish opening the door, and let the other 2 men in.  “I thought that you said that the husband wasn’t here?” 

“He’s not!... I saw him go with his son, 2 days ago.  So I don't know what you’re tal--” he stops when he can hear a few shots coming from the back of the house. 

“So who’s fighting Anthony?” 

“I don't know, just go and kill him!  You two, come with me -- the women must be in the room upstairs.  Let’s go and get them.” 

The 3 men start to move toward the stairs while the oldest of them runs toward the back yard.  Ellie comes out of one of the rooms as soon as she hears the gunshot. There’s not supposed to be any, so that means that something went wrong.  Ellie is ready with her gun, moving slowly toward the stairs. When she gets there, Ellie is surprised to see a few men on the stairs. “Who the fuck are you?” yells one of the men as soon as he sees her, but Ellie starts to shoot before they have time to react.  She hits the man in his chest, and he falls back, blocking the others from shooting back. Ellie shoots a few more times, but has to move away when they push the dead man aside and start to shoot at her. Ellie moves quickly and enters one of the rooms before they see which one it is.  

Outside, Joel finally kills the man he was fighting with, but another man comes out from the house and starts to shoot at him.  Joel uses the man he killed as a human shield, and starts to shoot back at the other man. The man moves quickly and hides behind some rusted things that were at the back of the house, so Joel takes the chance and does the same.  Joel starts to get desperate since a few minutes ago, he heard some shooting inside the house, so he starts to get worried for Ellie. 

“Did you hear that?  They’re going to kill everyone in there, so why don’t you surrender yourself?  Because if you do, there is a chance that you’ll get out of here alive,” says the man while he loads his weapon.

“Oh, that’s a good offer that no one can refuse, but I was going to offer you the same thing.  I think that you chose the wrong house to mess with,” answers Joel while he starts to think about how to take this man out and go in there to help Ellie.

The two men inside the house start to walk down the small corridor between the rooms. “Hey, was that your girlfriend?” whispers Chuck’s partner.

“No, this one looks younger... fuck, I didn’t know they had visitors here.  But that’s not going to change anything... C’mon, Julia, I know you’re up here... just give up, and no one is going to be hurt,” says Chuck, still walking.  

As nobody answers, they stop in front of the first room.  They get into position as Chuck orders the other man to kick the door open.  And as soon as he does, both of them enter the room and start to check it out. “There’s nobody here, boss!” says the man. 

“Check the closet and I will check under the bed,” says Chuck, getting down.  After they do that, nobody was found inside the room. “They must be in the other room… let’s go.”  Both men walk out the room door, and when they get out of the room, Julia is in the corridor with her shotgun pointed at them. 

“I told you that if you came in here, it was going to be your last time.”  As soon as the woman shoots, Chuck moves the other man in front of him to take the shot.  Then he pushes the body forward and hits the woman with it, causing the woman to fall down with the body on top of her. He moves down and hits the woman in the face with his gun, and takes her gun out of her hands. 

“And I told you to give me Lucy, or you were going to regret it... Now I have to kill you, and your little boy, but before that, who the hell is in the house with you?  Ahhhhhh!!!!!!”.... The man screams as he feels something penetrate his back.

“That’s none of your business, asshole!... and you and your buddies are going to regret coming in here,” says Ellie after stabbing the man in the back with her knife.

“What the fuck…?” Chuck turns and pushes Ellie to the side, sending her to the floor.  He starts to get up to attack Ellie. “You’re going to pay for this, you fucking whore--” but as soon as he gets close to her, Lucy comes out of one of the rooms and shoots him with her gun, several times.  Chuck has a surprised expression on his face while he falls down dead. The young woman drops her weapon, and starts crying and trembling. Her mother moves quickly to her side and hugs her, telling her that everything is going to be alright, that she did what she had to.  

Outside, the last man hears his boss screaming in pain, and then the shot, so he starts to think that all of them are dead.  Knowing that it’s all over, he doesn’t want to end like that, so it’s better for him to get out of there before whoever is in the house comes down and helps the old man.  So he shoots several times at Joel, then starts to run toward the darkness of the forest. Joel starts to shoot back at him and run after him, but after a little while, Joel stops because it is going to be impossible to find him in there.  So he decides to get back to the house and make sure that Ellie is okay. 

 

(A few days later)

After all that ended, Joel and Ellie stayed there for a few days and helped the family to clean up and bury all the dead men.  Julia and her family thanked Ellie and Joel for all the help they gave them, even after what happened at the beginning. And before they got out of there, she gave them some food and supplies for their journey.  Joel and Ellie said goodbye to them and continued in the direction of the trade town.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	32. Another Trade Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After they get away from the forest house they arrive to a new town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 31 : Another Trade Town**

  
  


It’s been a week since Ellie and Joel left the house in the forest with the small family there.  They’re now crossing the middle of South Dakota state, just passing through the old Cheyenne Indian reservation.  During the walk through there, Ellie thinks about Bob, and asks Joel if he came from this place. Joel tells her that he doesn't know if he comes from there, that there were a few Indian reservations in this country and that he could come from any of them.  Ellie is curious about the possibility of Indians still living in there. She starts to imagine how cool it could be if they look like the Indians she’s seen in movies that she watches sometimes, but they haven’t seen any.

After a long week, Joel finally finds the old road that is going to take them to the trade town.  Ellie asks Joel why the place wasn’t on Tommy’s map; she remembers Tommy marking all the small places where they do some trading.  Joel tells her that places like this were used by hunters or other gangs to traffic weapons and other things, so that not many people know about them.  The sun is going down soon, so Joel starts to look around, trying to find a good place to pass the night. Black clouds start forming in the sky, so it’s a possibility that they’ll get some rain soon.

“How long do you think it’s going to take us to get there?” asks Ellie, walking behind Joel, a little tired.

“Well, I think that we’re close now, so maybe a day or two,” answers Joel, still looking around.

“Well, that’s great, because my birthday is in four days.  That means that if we get there in time, we can celebrate it... cool.”  Then Ellie makes a little run and jumps on Joel’s back.

“Jesus, Ellie, do you want to break my back?” says Joel, trying to keep his balance.   

“What’re you saying, that I’m too heavy for you now?” says Ellie, giggling a little.

“Well, you ain’t 14 anymore.  Also, I thought you wanted me to treat you like an adult.”  

“Yeah, yeah… I know, but my feet hurt, and it feels so good back here,” says Ellie, putting her head on his back.  

“Well, my feet hurt, too, and you don't see me jumping on your back.  Anyway, we need to find a good place to sleep for tonight. It’s going to get dark soon, and possibly rain, too.”

“Soooo you’re going to carry me for a little while.”

Joel exhales, but continues walking with Ellie on his back.  “Okay, but just for a little while, and try not to do this again -- you’re not a little girl anymore.”

“Thanks, Joel, you’re the best -- I’ll make it up to you, okay?”  Joel carries Ellie for a little while, until Ellie asks him to put her down.  Even though her feet really hurt, she doesn’t want to hurt Joel’s back; she only wanted to see if Joel was willing to carry her on his back.  A few hours later, they find a little clearing and make camp there. After the fire is ready, they eat some of what they have left of the supplies that Julia gave them.  They fall asleep a little after that, and lucky for them, it doesn’t rain that night..

 

( Two days later)

They get up early in the morning and continue with their journey.  They follow the path that Joel is sure is going to take them to the trade town.  A little after noon, it starts to rain. It isn’t much, but enough to get them wet.  After they walk for a while in the rain, they arrive at the town.

“This is the place?... it doesn't look like much,” says Ellie while they stop on a hill close to the town.

“Yeah, I know, but it’s bigger on the inside.  Not as big as Jackson, but we can find what we need here and get some rest,” says Joel, taking his binoculars and starting to check the place.   

“Do they have hot water and electricity?... because I want to take a good hot bath as soon as we find a place to stay,” says Ellie, getting behind him.

“Well... they had it the last time I was here.”

“And how long ago was that?”

“I’m not sure, maybe a year.  But as far as I can see, they haven’t changed much, so c’mon, let’s get down there.  We need to get these wet clothes off before we get sick. And remember what I told you -- these people can be dangerous, so try not to cause any trouble, okay?”  Then Joel stands up and starts walking down the hill. Ellie stands up too and starts to follow him.

“How do they have power?... I know that the water is easier to get, but power?” asks Ellie while she continues walking behind Joel.

“Well, did you see those big fans at the other side of the town?”

“Yeahhhh.”

“Well, they use those to generate power.”

“How?... they just look like a big fan,” asks Ellie curiously.

“The wind… the wind moves the fan and that moves some other part that creates electricity.  For a big town or city, they need a lot of those, but for a small town like this, a few of them work fine.

“Ohhhh… that sounds fascinating…” says Ellie sarcastically.  After half an hour, they arrive at the main gate of the town.  There are 3 guards: two close to the door and another one in a tower.  The guard at the gate quickly points at them as soon as they see them.  

“Hold it right there... what’s your business here?” asks one of the guards.

“We just came to trade, and to find a place to stay for a few days,” says Joel, looking at the man.

“Ha, you came here to trade?... I don’t think you have much in those backpacks,” says the other guard.

“Oh, don't worry about that... we have a few good things that we can find good buyers for.”

“Well... we’re the ones that are going to decide that.  And if you want a room, that’s going to cost you a lot more.”

“It’s okay.  I’ve been here before, and I think that I can cover that.  Now if you don't mind, we need to change these wet clothes.”  Joel turns his head and looks at Ellie. “C’mon, kiddo, let's go and fin--”  He stops when one of the guards puts one hand in front of him to stop him.

“Not so fast, outsider -- you need to pay the entry fee.”

“An entry, what!... there wasn’t any entry fee the last time I was here.”

“Well... a lot of things happened a year ago, and the town has a new administration now.”

“That’s bullshit,” says Ellie.  “I never heard of a place that asks for any payment to enter…”  Joel looks at her and gives her the (just shut up) look. “What!... it’s true.”

“Look, we came here for trade and rest.  So how much is your st--your fee to enter?” says Joel, trying to hold back his anger.

“You don’t seem to have much, so let me see… do you have any bullets?”

“Yeah, we have some, so maybe I can give you 2, what do you say?”

“Ha,ha… 2?... how about 5!... that is the fee for entry, right?” he looks at the other man for confirmation.

“Yeah, I think that’s correct,” says the other guard.         

“5!... are you crazy?... and just for going inside?  Do you know how hard it is to find bullets these days?” says Ellie, a little furious, and starts to move forward toward the man.

“Hey, just chill, okay…” says Joel, holding Ellie back a little.  “Look, that’s too much. Especially for a small town like this that probably doesn’t have much to offer.  So maybe we can do some negotiation on the price, so both sides can be happy... what do you think?” says Joel in a calming way.

“Sorry, pal, but our instructions are to let no one pass if they don’t pay the fee.  So if you and your girl don’t like the price, you can go and find another place.”

“Oh, and another thing -- you need to leave all your weapons in the deposit room.  No weapons are allowed in the town now. Also, we need to check you out, to make sure that you’re not infected,” says the other guard.

_Shit!_ says Joel to himself.  He knows that if they check Ellie, they’re going to find the bite mark. Even though the old one was gone, Ellie told him about how she got bitten before she found him, so there’s no way in hell that he is going to let this asshole find it.  “Okay, we can leave the guns for your keeper, and give you 10 bullets if you forget that whole checking thing... what do you say?” Joel offers, but Ellie is looking at him in disapproval of the deal.

“Sorry, but we have orders to check all people.  We can’t let anyone in if they might be sick or infected,” says one of the guards.

“Do you think that we look sick?  And if we were infected, we’d be looking like zombies right now.  So what do you say… umm?” says Joel, trying to convince them.

 

(One hour later)

“I can’t believe that you paid those assholes for letting us in.  That was too much, Joel, and giving up our weapons -- that was stupid, too,” says Ellie in a lower voice.  

“Well, be happy that they accepted the payment and didn’t check you.  And the weapons are going to be fine. We can get them back when we get out of here.  Besides, there’s no other places to trade for the rest of the way back to Jackson. So we don't have too much choice.”

"Yeah, I know, it’s just I don't like people like that… you know, the ones that like to take advantage of others.  And if something happens here, we’re not going to have any weapons to protect ourselves.”

“Well, in that case, we need to try to not get in any trouble, okay?  Just need to find what we need and go. I just wonder what happened to the people that were in charge of this place.”

Joel and Ellie continue walking in the middle of the street, looking for a place that has room for them.  Ellie starts to look around to check what this place has to offer. “I know that the town's not what it was supposed to be, but I know that we can find what we need for now,” says Joel while he looks at Ellie.

“Hey, Joel, this town looks a little like the one where I found that big fat ass, Bill, but that one was bigger.  So we’re going to find a place to stay now or we’re going to the market first?”

Joel stops her and puts one hand on Ellie’s shoulder, and looks at her. “Let’s go and find a place to stay first, and after that, we can go to the market and see what they have, okay?”

“Okay, that sounds good,” says Ellie, smiling.  They resume the walking as some people start to look at them.  Some with curious eyes, and others were more like... they found new prey to rob. 10 minutes later, Joel stops in front of a building.  It’s a three-story building that looks like an old western tavern, just like the ones they used as a whore house in the old west.

“Okay, let’s check if they have a room here.  I’ve stayed here before, so it’s a good place to stay. I think I know the owner, so that’s going to make things easier.  Just one more thing: don't say anything!... I will do the talking, and for God’s sake, don't cause any trouble, okay?” says Joel, looking at her with a serious face.

“What!... why are you looking at me like that?... I know how to behave!” Joel continues looking at her without saying anything.  Ellie puts her hands on her sides, an indignant expression on her face. “Fiiiine!... I will use all my power to be a good… person.”

“Okay… let's go.”  As soon as Joel and Ellie enter the place, they start to look around.  Ellie is surprised, as she’s never been in a place like this before. The first floor has a few tables and a bar, as well as a stage for some local band to play music, and they have some strippers dancing there.  The place is full of people, so Joel tells Ellie to keep her eyes open.

“Okay, I’m going to check the counter and ask for a room, so stay here and watch my back, just in case,” says Joel as he starts to walk toward the bar.

Ellie grabs his hand to make him look at her.  “Isn’t it better for us if we stay together?” Ellie whispers to him.

“Yes, but I need you to cover the entrance just in case something happens.”  He looks at her and sees her worried face. “Don't worry, I’m going to be fine, just keep your eyes open, okay?”  

“Okay…” she says, not convinced of that.

Joel arrives at the counter in no time, but he is not sure how this place works now.  He starts to look around and sees some people getting drunk and starting to cause trouble.  The man that is tending the bar has to go to the table to attend the situation. Joel is hoping that all that doesn't go on everyday, even if they’re not planning to stay that long.  He turns around and starts to ask for the person in charge. “Hey... is anyone here?... I need a room… Hello?”

A man walks out from a room that is behind the counter.  “Hey, take it easy, man… I was a little busy back there… now what do you want?” asks the man with a thick voice.

“I need a room for a few days… ummm, 3 tops, so how much is that going to cost me?” asks Joel quickly.

“Well, that is going to be a little difficult, you know, a lot of outsiders came this week to trade and after the people in charge here changed… the other inn that we had here was destroyed.”

“Yeah, I heard something about that on the way in, and because of that, the guards almost didn’t let us in.  So what happened to the old ones?” asks Joel, curious.

“Well, as far as I know, a group came here last year and-- wait a minute… do I know you… is that you, Hunter?” asks the man in disbelief.

“What?... I don't know who you’re referring to.  I don't--”

“Yes… yes, it’s you!... I never forget a face, yeah, you came here with that blonde woman… I forget her name, but she was the devil.  I’m not good with names, but I’m never going to forget yours -- you helped me out when that bitch tried to kill me.” The man moves close to Joel.  “She didn’t come with you this time, right?” asks the man in a whisper, a little shakily.

“Oh… I remember you now, you worked in that gun shop that’s at the end of the main street?”

“Yeah, that’s me, but I don’t work there anymore.  So!... she come with you or not?” asks the man again.

“No!... you could say that our partnership was terminated, so don't worry about that…”

“Oh, that’s great, but if you came for guns, I can't help you.  The place was destroyed during the transition.”

“No, I didn’t come here for that, I just need a room for a few days… So?”

“Sure… sure, a room.  Well, like I said, we’re full this week, but as you saved my life, I think I can find something, let me see.”  The man starts looking at the place where he puts the keys for the rooms. “I think I have a little one that you can use... did you come alone?” asks the man.

“No!... I came with some--” Joel stops when he sees Ellie at the entrance, arguing with someone.

“Hey, asshole, get away from me… I already told you that I don’t work here, so go away before I kick your sorry ass,” says Ellie with a furious tone.

“Shit!... okay, I’ll be right back,” says Joel while he starts to walk away.

The man that is arguing with Ellie grabs her arm.  “Oh, c’mon, little bunny… we can… have some fun… upstairs… I have a good room.  I can pay a little… extra if you give me a good… time… so what do you say?” says the drunken man.

“Hey, let go of my arm, I already told you that I--” Ellie doesn’t even finish when she sees Joel grab the man’s arm, making him release hers.

Joel moves him away from Ellie.  “Hey!... this girl doesn’t work here, so why don’t you go back to the bar and look for another one,” says Joel with a hard voice.

The man almost loses his balance, but looks at Joel with a mad expression.  “Who the fuck are you… I saw her first… so go away and find… another one for yourself!...”  says the drunk man, them he turns around to look back at Ellie. “So what do you say… we going to my room or-- Aaaahhhh…” the man starts to scream when Ellie grabs the man's ball and squeezes them hard.  

“I told you to piss off, but you still fuck with me, right?... So now I’m the one that’s pissed,” says Ellie, pressing harder on the man’s balls.  The man starts to bend down in pain while some people start to look at them. Ellie looks at Joel and sees that he is giving her some gesture to make her stop, so Ellie looks at the man again and whispers, “You’re lucky that I promised to be a good girl, but if you touch me again, I will cut off your dick and push it up your ass… did you get that?”  

“Ye, yeee... Yes...ma'am...” says the man in pain.

“Good… now piss off,” she says and then releases him from her grip.  The man starts to walk away, holding his genitals and groaning a little.  Joel looks at her in disbelief.

“Fuck, did you have to do that?... what part of don’t do anything stupid don’t you understand?”  

“That wasn’t my fault... he started it.”

“Yeah… it don’t matter now… c’mon, I found a room for us,” says Joel, putting a hand on her shoulder and guiding Ellie toward the counter.  “What about that room?” Joel asks the owner man.

“Oh, yeah… the room.”  He turns and grabs the key for the room, then moves back to the counter.  “So you’re working with this girl now?... I can tell you that she looks better than the blonde one,” says the man, looking at Ellie.

“What did you say?” asks Ellie quickly.

“Oh, he didn’t tell you?... well, he came here before and--”

“Just give me the key, I don't have time for your tales?” says Joel, giving the man a dangerous look.

“Oh, yes, the key, here… and that’s going to cost you 10 bullets.” Joel gives the man another look.

“Or because it’s you, I’m just going to give you that for half the price,” says the man, giving him a nervous smile.

“Thank you.” Joel grabs the key and Ellie’s arm and starts to walk away.

“Have fun… and my name is Rick, by the way!... so if you need anything, come to see me, I can get anything in this town,” yells the man to Joel while they walk toward the stairs.

Joel and Ellie go up the stairs until they get to the third floor.  Joel looks at the key number, then he starts to check the door numbers.  Ellie is walking behind him without saying anything. A few minutes later, Joel finds the room and stops in front of it.  “Okay, I think this is our room.” He tries the key and opens the door. “Ladies first!” says Joel, indicating with his hand for Ellie to enter.  Ellie goes inside, still not saying a word, so Joel enters after her and closes the door.

Joel looks at her as she moves close to the bed and drops her backpack there, and starts to look at the room. “Okay, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?... because you haven’t said a word since the incident with that drunk man -- oh, and if you’re wondering, I’m not mad about that.”

She turns and looks at him.  “It’s not that.”

“Okay, so what it is then?” Joel asks, clueless.

Ellie looks at him and crosses her arms in front of her.  “I just want to know who is the blonde woman you came here with?”

“What!... What blonde?”

“Don't play dumb with me, Joel -- that man down there said that the last time you were here, you were with a woman.  So you’d better start talking,” says Ellie with a firm voice.

“Ha,ha,ha,” Joel can't contain the little laugh that escapes from him.

“What’s so funny, Joel?” says Ellie, unamused.

“Sorry, I don't mean that... even if you look so cute when you’re jealous… but you don't need to be,” says Joel, moving close to her.

“What!... who said I’m jealous?... I just want to--” she stops when Joel puts his hands on her shoulders.

“I came here to make a deal for some weapons two years ago.  And the person that came with me was Amber. Her father sent her with me to buy the guns.  It was only a business job, nothing more, okay?” Ellie looks at him, trying to see if that was a lie or not.  “Are we good?... because I don't want to end up like that drunk guy down there.”

“Oh, don't worry, your balls are safe… for now!” says Ellie, smiling a little.

“Well, that’s good to know, so thank you... Now, let’s check this place, and you can take a hot shower, and dry these clothes,” says Joel, taking off his backpack and dropping it on the bed.  The room isn’t too big, as Rick said; the room has only a twin bed, two bended metal chairs, and a small table. The room has only one window that faces the street outside, and a small bathroom.  Joel moves toward the window and looks outside while Ellie goes to the bathroom to check the water. “Hey, we have hot water -- I hope that it holds for the two of us,” she says, turning off the water.  

“Well, that’s great -- this place looks clean enough, so I think we're going to be good in here for the next few days.”  He moves away from the window and starts to take off his shirt.

When Ellie walks out of the bathroom and sees Joel shirtless, close to the bed, she smiles.  She moves close to him and hugs him from behind. “You know that we can take a shower together, so that way we can be sure that the hot water doesn’t run out, and there’ll be enough for the two of us,” says Ellie, trying to be sexy.      

“Sorry, kiddo, I’m only going to change for now.  I have some things to do before we go to the market.  But you go ahead and take the shower while I do my business out there, okay?”  

“What do you mean when you get back?... where are you going without me, anyway?” she asks, moving away from him a little.

He turns around and grabs her shoulder.  “I have to check a few things, and make sure that no one comes here when we get out, okay?  I’m only going to be out for an hour,” says Joel to calm her.

“I don't understand why we can’t do that together.  We haven’t been able to do anything for the last month and a half.”

“What do you mean?  We do plenty of things together.  We hunt, we wash our clothes, kill some infected--” Ellie hits him softly on the chest with her hand.

“Joel, I’m not joking, you know what I meant, and I’ve been dreaming about us taking a shower together for a long time now, and I don’t want to be alone here ether,” she says with a sad face. Joel moves close again, puts his hand on both sides of her face, and bring it close to him.  He kisses her deeply, and Ellie is about to protest, but when she starts to feel his tongue enter her mouth, she melts into the kiss. Ellie starts to suck his lips, savoring the moment the best she can. Joel brings her close with his hand until they’re touching each other. Ellie moves her hand on his back, making his body pressed against hers.  As Joel starts to feel his erection, he ends the kiss and looks at her sad face.

“Don't worry, kiddo, we’re going to have plenty of time for that.  Like I told you before, we’re going to have time to relax a little here.  So we can take that shower later tonight, okay?”

Ellie looks at him, hoping to change his mind, but knowing that she’s not.  “Fine!... but you better make it up to me… I want to have some fun tonight, and I don't want any more excuses, okay?”

“Well, when you say things like that, what man can resist your lovely side.” says Joel, smiling, then he moves close to her again and kisses her on the lips, but not as long this time.  “Now go take that shower and change. I’ll be back in no time.” He moves away from her, and Ellie gives him a slap on his ass when he passes her. Joel moves toward the bed and finishes changing his clothes.  After that, he walks close to Ellie and gives her another kiss on the mouth. “I’ll be back soon, kiddo, so lock the door and be careful, okay?” says Joel, opening the door.

“Okay, just try not to stay too long out there alone.  I’ll be ready when you get back,” says Ellie looking at him.

“Oh, don't worry, kiddo, I will be here in no time.  And remember to make sure that no one enters the room when you’re in the bathroom, okay?”  With that, Joel goes out of the room and closes the door behind him.


	33. The first night in town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie and Joel, walk into the town, to see what they have... but Joel have a little surprise for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 32 : The first night in town**

  
  
  


After Joel leaves, Ellie walks to the bed and grabs her backpack.  She takes out all the clothes she has in the backpack, putting the clean ones on one side of the bed and the dirty ones on the other.  After she does that, she walks to the bathroom and starts to wash her dirty clothes. As soon as she finishes, Ellie takes her clothes off and enters the shower, and starts to clean herself up.  An hour later, Ellie walks out of the bathroom, happy to get a good bath with hot water again. But her happiness ends when she notices that Joel has not returned yet. He told her that he was going to get back in an hour, but when she checks, it’s been longer than that. Ellie moves to the bed and sets both of their backpacks on the floor.  Ellie takes a book out of hers and lays down on the bed to wait for Joel. 

An hour later, Ellie is reading the book on the bed when she hears some noises on the other side of the door.  Ellie puts the book aside and sits up on the bed, then grabs her gun that she managed to smuggle in and starts to get out of the bed.  But before that, the door opens. Ellie points the gun toward the door, but lowers it when she sees that it’s Joel. Joel jumps a little when he sees her pointing a gun at him.  

“Shit!... Joel, I almost shot you.  I thought it was some asshole trying to enter the room,” says Ellie, a little startled. 

“Well, I’m lucky that I ain’t that kind of asshole,” says Joel, walking toward her.

“Joel, that’s not funny, I could kill you.... Anyway, where were you?... You said that you were coming back in an hour, and it’s been more than three,” says Ellie, putting her gun on the table.

“Yeah, sorry I took so long to-- wait a minute, how did you get a gun in here?... They took all our guns at the gate,” says Joel, a little surprised.

“If you really want to know, let’s just say that we’re lucky that I’m a girl.  And that we have a way to hide things.” She giggled a little at that. “Oh... I also brought my mother’s knife.  You don’t think that I’m going to let them take all our weapons, right?” she says with all her confidence.

“Well, I’m glad that you are so… ummm... inventive, but you need to leave the gun in the room when we go out.  If they find out that--”

“Joel, don’t try to change the subject -- where have you been?” Ellie asks, rolling her eyes.

“Sorry, kiddo, but I had to do some things, and it took me more time than I was expecting.  But don't worry, I’ll take a quick shower and we can go out, okay?” Joel walks away to look for his backpack.  He finds it beside the bed, so he grabs it and takes some clean clothes out of it. Then he goes to the bathroom and closes the door.

“You better hurry up -- I’ve already waited too long for you,” says Ellie, sitting on the bed.  

Joel takes his clothes off and enters the shower, and as soon as he turns on the water -- “Ahhhhhh….Fuck!... ELLIE!... what the fuck… why did you use all the hot water…” 

Ellie starts to giggle a little.   _ Got you.  “ _ Sorry, but that’s not my fault.  You took too long to come back, so I… kind of used all the hot water.”

_ Fuck!...  _ Joel says to himself while trying to get used to the cold water.  Even though summer is going to start soon, the water’s still cold.  Joel cleans himself up as fast as he can and gets out of the shower.  He dries himself off and puts on the clean clothes -- that’s when he notices some of Ellie’s clothes that are hanging in the bathroom to get dry.  He knows that the bathroom is not the best place to do that, but there's no other way to dry them. He walks toward the bathroom door and leaves the room.  “Hey, I see that you washed your clothes… that’s good,” he says, moving close to the bed.

Ellie sits up on the bed and looks at him, setting the book aside.  “Yeah, I thought that it was better to do that now, so they dry out by tomorrow.  I was going to wash yours too, but… I forgot.” 

“Yeah, yeah… I can see that you’re still mad at me for being late.  But I can guarantee that it was worth it, okay? Now let’s get going before it gets dark, and I don't want to be out there too long at night.”  Joel drops his dirty clothes on the chair and walks to the door. 

Ellie gets off the bed and grabs her knife.  “I’ll take this just in case... do you want the gun?” she asks while she grabs the gun from the small table.  The gun isn’t big, but at close range, it can kill anyone. 

“No!... I already told you not to bring that outside.  Just hide it under the mattress. And try not to take out that knife unless it’s completely necessary, okay?”

“Fineee…” Ellie does as she’s told and hides the gun.  “What about our stuff? Are we going out and leaving it all in here?... Someone could get in and steal all our stuff.” 

“It’s okay, this place has rules... but just in case, I paid someone to watch the room and make sure no ones come in,” says Joel while he opens the door.

Ellie starts to walk toward him, giving him a disbelieving look.  “And you’re going to trust this person?... what if he just gets in and steals it himself?” says Ellie, passing him. 

“Oh, don’t worry about that -- I made sure that he knows what’s going to happen to him if he does that, or if he lets someone else do it, too.”

“Yeah, I bet you did… hey, are you sure you washed yourself well?  That was a really quick shower,” she says, smiling a little.

Joel closes the door and locks it, then starts to walk.  “Yeah, very funny, that water was cold as shit… you should try that next time,” says Joel, putting his arm around her shoulder and continuing their walk toward the stairs.

“No thanks!... but I could, if you go in with me.  That way, we can get a little warm in there,” she says while giggling a little.  

“Yeah, I bet you’d like that… shit, what happened to my little baby girl?” Joel asks in a mocking way.

“She grew up, remember?” Ellie answers with a smile.  After that, they walk out of the building and go into the street.

“So what are we going to do first?... Are we going to eat or are we going to the market to buy what we need first?” asks Ellie while she looks at the street. 

“We don't need to buy anything tonight, but we can start to check the market and see what they’ve got.  What do you think?”

“Well, that sounds good.  Let’s go, then.” Ellie grabs Joel’s arm and interlaces it with hers, and starts walking in the direction of the market.  The street is very crowded for a small trade town, but Joel remembers that the owner of the inn told him that a lot of people came here this week.

As they continue walking, some people start to look at them with curious eyes.  Others watch them with some disgusted expression, especially the women. Joel looks at them and gives them a look, like what the fuck you looking at or do you want me to break your neck -- that kind of look.  Not that he gives a damn about what these people think about Ellie and him. But he starts to wonder if things are going to be like that when they get back to Jackson. “Hey, do you think it’s a good idea to do this in here?” asks Joel.

“Do what?” asks Ellie innocently as she puts her head on his shoulder.

“This?... you know, holding hands and--” he is interrupted.

“Ha,ha,ha… are you kidding?”  Ellie moves her head away from him so she can look at his face.  “Why can’t this be good? I don't think people care who we are or what we do in here.  So why should we give a fuck what they’re thinking? Tomorrow is my birthday and I’m planning to enjoy our stay here the best we can, and with that, I mean...” She moves close to his ear and whispers, “ _ And with that, I mean to fuck your brains out of your head.  And I don’t even care if all the people staying at the inn hear us all night.”   _ Then she pulls away and smiles at him.

“Jesus, girl!... You really need to stop reading those sex books,” says Joel, laughing a little. 

“Why!... they help sometimes.”  Ellie stops with a surprised expression as soon she sees all the different stores in front of her.  She thinks that not even the town where she found Bill had this much. Joel and Ellie walk for 20 minutes until they arrive at the market. 

The place has a lot houses that were turned into different little stores: some selling food, and others, furniture, antiques, car parts, wood, liquor, and a lot of other things.  Of course, they have a few that sell weapons and ammunition, but those are more restricted. Since no one can be carrying any weapons in town, except for the people that keep the order in there, the people that buy them have to pick them up when they leave town.  Ellie lets go of Joel’s arm and starts to check out the stores; she sees a few things that she’s never seen in other places. “Wow… Joel, can you see all this!... fuck!... this place is great, look at that machine… looks like new!” Ellie is excited to see so many things... she doesn’t even care about what those things could be used for.  She moves to another store and starts looking at the new things. “Hey, Joel!... Tommy’s been looking for one of these for ages, so what do you think?... Maybe we can buy it as a present--” 

Joel pulls Ellie away from the small store and starts to talk to her in a lower voice.  “Can you calm down? I know all this is great, but let me give you a few tips before you start buying things, okay?” 

“Oh, okay, I just got a little excited.  But don't worry, I know how to negotiate a price,” says Ellie with confidence.

“Yeah… Okay, first:  don’t show too much interest in an item, or they’re going to raise the price.  Second: never show all the things you have to trade, or what you have to pay for things.  Third: never offer anything first. Just ask and let the seller name the price, and then you can start to offer.  And remember, always offer less than half of the price first, so that--” 

“Joel, I know all that… you sound like Tommy when he tried to take me on one of his trade trips.”

“He tried to take you out of town?... when?... because I don’t remember any of that.”

“It was a few months after you left.  Maria and him tried to make me do some other things to distract me.  Anyway, why are you telling me all this? I thought that we weren’t going to buy anything tonight.”

“Yeah, I know.  But all of this is just in case you see something that you want to buy.  I just want to be sure that you can do this. Since bullets are very useful for trade or payment, and we don't have too many of them, we need to make sure we have enough to buy the food we need, and some other things.”

“Yeah, don't worry, I’m not going to go crazy here.”  They start walking again, and checking other places. As bullets are hard to find these days, they are very valuable, so people use them for trade or for paying for things. Joel brought a few boxes of bullets from the cabin, but they got lucky and found more in an old police car.  

After a few minutes, Ellie finds a store that has books and comics, so she goes in to check it out. Joel follows her and starts to look around while Ellie goes to the book rack and starts to look at them.  All the books look worn-out; the pages are yellow, and some of the books have missing pages. On the next rack are magazines, but nothing that interests her. Just some sports one, National Geographic, and People magazine.  Ellie read some of those back at Jackson, but a lot of them just talk about stupid things people did a long time ago, so she is not interested in reading those right now.

Joel continues checking the place, but from time to time he checks on Ellie to see that she is okay.  He doesn't like to be separated from her, especially when a lot of people start to enter the store. Ellie moves to another rack that has more magazines and old newspapers.  Then she sees the comics -- she gets a little excited about that, as she hasn’t found any comics in the last three years. She starts looking at them, trying to find any titles that she’s read before, to see if she can find any part that she hasn’t read before.  Ellie finds a few comics from the Batman series, and some from other superheroes. Then she picks up one that reads ‘The walking dead.’ She starts to check that one, but puts it back as soon as she sees that the comic was about zombies.  _ Who the hell would want to read comics about dead people eating a person?  _  She’s been living that for the past 10 years, maybe more. 

She moves to another rack that have more books, but when she starts to check them, she sees a few more comics in there.  She picks a few of them, and after she checks them out, she finds four that are from the Savage Starlight series. Ellie starts to look at them and read the titles: one of them reads “Accretion” -- she already read that one when she and Joel left Jackson.  The other one says “Uncertainty;” which is another one that she’s already read. But the other two are new titles that she hasn’t read before, so she’s definitely going to buy those two. After she picks up another romance novel, she walks toward Joel. She tells him that she wants to buy a few things, so they walk to the owner’s counter.  After she pays for the comics and book, they go outside the store. 

“Glad that you found something you like.  Now there is another place I wanted to go before we go back to the room,” says Joel, walking again. 

“Yeah, it was just a few comics and a book… they didn’t have much in there.  Sooo… we’re going to check another store to see what they have?” she asks while she walks beside him.  After 20 minutes, Joel sees the place he’s looking for. Ellie stops behind him and reads the sign on the top of the door that says ‘ **The Best Clothes you can find.’ “** Joel, why are we stopping here?... we don't need any new clothes.  I think we have enough.” 

“Yeah I know, but what I’m looking for in here is just for tonight,” says Joel, opening the door of the store and going inside.  Ellie is a little surprised, but follows him in.

After they enter, she has the urge to ask about that remark.  “Tonight?... why do I need new clothes for tonight?” asks Ellie curiously.  But before Joel answers her, a female voice welcomes them.

“Hello there, welcome to my shop -- is there something you’re looking for?... because if you’re looking for something special, you’ve come to the right place,” says the woman, smiling.

“I’m just looking for a nice dress for her, and a new shirt for me,” answers Joel.

The woman moves close to them and starts to look at Ellie.  The woman checks her from every angle, then she looks back at Joel.  “What kind of dress are you looking for?”

“Just a dinner dress, if you have something like that in here,” Joel answers the woman.

“Oh, I see… well, I think I have something that you may like… follow me.”  The woman starts to walk toward the back of the store.

Joel starts to follow the woman, but Ellie grabs his arm and stops him. “Joel, why do you want to buy me a dress?  I don't even like wearing those -- they’re not practical, especially out there,” Ellie says in a lower voice.

“Oh, you don't need to worry about that, kiddo, it’s just for tonight, okay?” answers Joel while he starts walking again. 

“Just for tonight?... what are we going to do tonight that-- wait… are we going on a date?” Ellie gets close to him and whispers the last part.

“Well… it was a surprise, but yeah, something like that.”

“Cool!...” Ellie says, all excited.  Both of them stop in the middle of the store to wait for the woman to come back.  The woman enters a little room behind the counter and disappears. After a few minutes, she comes back with a few dresses in her hands. 

“Okay, I had these ones back there.  They’re like new; someone traded them to me last year.  I don’t know if they’ll fit you, but you can try them on,” says the woman, passing the dresses to Ellie.  “There’s a little room over there -- you can try them on in there.”

“Okay, thanks.”  Ellie takes the dresses and looks at Joel.  After he lets her know that it’s okay, she walks to the little room and goes inside.  Joel sees a chair in a corner, and goes to sit in it. 

“That is something nice you’re doing for her... no one buys dresses these days.  You were lucky that I had those. I remember buying one for my daughter for her first school dance, before all this shit happened.  So what’s the special occasion, if you don't mind me asking?”

Joel looks at her; he wants to tell her that it’s none of her fucking business.  But maybe it’s better to play nice, and maybe he can get a good price for the clothes.  “Her birthday is tomorrow, so I want to do something nice for her,” Joel answers politely.

“Ohhh… I see, that is so nice -- it’s been a long time since I’ve seen people like you coming in here.  I didn't think people were celebrating those anymore.”

“Yeah, I’m just trying to give her the most normal life that she can get... you know.” 

“Yeah, of course, you’re lucky to come here after the old leader was taken out.  The new ones have more rules, but it’s easier to live here now, so the change was a good thing for us.  Sooo, you’re looking for something special for you, too?” 

“Just something nice, I dunno… something classic.  If you have something like that in here,” says Joel without looking at her.   

“Ha… I can tell you already that all that is left in this world is classic.”  Joel gives her a look. “Oh…Sorry, ummm, okay, I think I have something you can use.”  She walks away to another part of the store. Lucky for him and Ellie, there’s no one else in the store.

After Ellie enters the little room, she puts the dresses on a little wood chair inside there.  The three dresses the woman gave her to try on look beautiful. One is black with long sleeves and is long enough to pass her knees; she likes that one.  Another one is red, and it looks a little like the one she wore in the cabin for the first date she had with Joel. That was perfect, too, but better to wear something different for the second date.  The last one is black too with some gold color on the side, longer than the first one and completely covering her legs, but it doesn't have any sleeves, so it’s not good for her to wear in here. After she thinks for a moment, she decides to try the first one because that one is more convenient, and looks sexier, too.  

The woman brings a few shirts to Joel to try on, and after 20 minutes, he finally chooses one.  He tells the woman to put it in a bag; he doesn’t want Ellie to see it yet. He also buys new pants, since he doesn't have any clean ones to use tonight.  While the woman goes to put the clothes in a bag, he sees Ellie leaving the room wearing the dress. 

She walks close to Joel.  “Well!... what do you think?” asks Ellie, twirling in a circle to show the dress to Joel.

“Wow!... that looks… yeah, looks great on you,” says Joel, moving close to her.

“Really!... well, that’s great, I’m glad that you like this one because it’s the one I wanted,” says Ellie with a big smile on her face.  

“Okay, that one it is -- you can change back.  I’ll tell the woman that we’re going to take the black one.  I asked if she had any shoes for the dress, but she said that she only has a few boots and sneakers.” 

“Ahhhh… But it’s okay, I can use mine... it’s not going to be the same as the one I found in the cabin.  But the dress is really nice by itself,” says Ellie, walking back to the little room to change.

After 10 minutes, she comes out and gives the dress to the woman so she can put it in a bag.  After that, Joel pays for the clothes and thanks her for the help. They walk out of the store and start to walk into the market again.

“So we’re really going to go on a date?... or you’re planning something else?” asks Ellie, taking Joel by the arm and walking close to him. 

“Something like that… so are you tired?... do you want to go back to the room?”

“No, let’s walk a little longer.  I don't know why you said that this was so bad.  So far it’s really nice. Except for the one at the gate and the creepy man at the bar, it looks very normal to me.”  

“Well, I have to admit that this place changed a lot since the last time I was here.  Maybe the new administration is doing a better job to keep the place this way.” They walk for one more hour, checking a few more stores in that time, but not buying anything else.  After that, they start to walk toward the inn again. Even though Ellie enjoyed the walk with Joel at her side, she doesn't understand why Joel is taking her back to the room. He mentioned that they were going to have another date, so why go back there?  Well, they need to clean up and change, if Joel found a good place to eat. She’s starting to get hungry, so she is hoping that they don’t take too much time to get ready. 

As soon as they get back to the inn, Ellie starts to ask, “Joel, why are we back here?  I thought you said that we’re going to have another date?” 

“Ahh, don't worry about that.  We will, but first we need to get back to the room,” says Joel, moving up the stairs with Ellie.  He turns his head around and looks toward the cantina, and sees a man sitting in there. The man gives him some kind of signal, and Joel smiles and continues up the stairs with Ellie. 

After a few minutes, they get in front of their room, but before he takes out the key, he turns to look at her.  “Ellie, before we go in, I need a favor from you,” he asks, trying not to sound suspicious. 

“A favor?... Joel, what’s this all about?  You’re starting to worry me.” 

“It’s nothing bad, kiddo, I promise.  I just need you to close your eyes, and don't open them until I tell you... okay?” says Joel, taking out the key for the room.

Ellie looks at him suspiciously, but closes her eye anyway.  “Okay, fine... now what?” 

“Just wait until I tell you to open them, okay?”  Joel proceeds to open the door, and helps Ellie inside.  He closes the door behind him and moves Ellie a little further into the room.  ”Okay, you can open them now!” says Joel, stepping back a little. And when Ellie opens her eyes, she can't believe what she is seeing in front of her...


	34. Ellie`s Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their trip through the town, Ellie and Joel go back to their room, just for Ellie get a little surprise waiting for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.
> 
> A/N: Hi this is a sex warning for this chapter. For people that don't like to read those, I just want to let you know that this chapter contains explicit sex in some part of the chapter. So if you don't are into that, don't read this chapter. Even that this is part of the story, I don't think you going to miss anything important there. But is still a nice time for Ellie and Joel, so I hope for the one that like the sex part enjoy it, thanks, and good reading. See you in the next one.

**Chapter 33 :  Ellie`s Birthday**

  
  
  


When Ellie opens her eyes and looks into the room, she can't believe what she is seeing.  The room looks totally different from the one she walked out of a few hours earlier. Now it has nice curtains on the windows, the bed is moved to one side, creating more space for the round table  in the middle of the room now. The table has a black & white cloth, two chairs, and a candle in the center. Also on the table are two plates, a bottle of wine, and two glasses. On the wall close to the window is a sign that reads ‘ **Happy Birthday.’** Ellie is really surprised… even though the big sign looks a little childish, who gives a fuck?  Joel did all this for her, and she hasn’t celebrated any birthdays since he left Jackson. She doesn't know how Joel did all this or found all these things in this town that ended up not being so bad after all.  But right now, she doesn't care about all that -- she’s so happy that the only thing she wants to do is scream. 

Joel moves close to her and puts his hand on her shoulder.  “Do you like it?”

“Wow… wow, Joel, this is… I can’t even… this is so beautiful... Thank you!” She turns around and hugs him.  “I don't know what more to say… But how did you do all this?” she says, moving back a little so she can look at his face.

“Well… I had to talk with a few people, but I wanted to make sure that you had a great birthday time...” says Joel, smiling at her.

“Wait a minute!... this is why you were late earlier?” asks Ellie.

“Ummmm…. Yeah, I just wanted to surprise you… And I’m glad that you like it.”

“Shit!  You were out doing all this for me and I was so mean to you… I even used all the hot water, and now I feel like--” Joel moves her closer and kisses her, and she returns the kiss.  After a moment, they separate, and Joel looks at her.

“It’s okay, kiddo, I know that this ain’t going to compensate for the two years.  I wasn't there for you, and--” Ellie moves her hand and grabs his face. She pulls him down and kisses him on the lips again, but this time more passionately than before. 

“So this is why you bought me the dress, too?” Ellie asks as soon as they break the kiss.

“Yeah, I wanted us to have a birthday dinner.  Speaking of dinner, I need to get downstairs and tell the cook of this place that he can bring the food up in one hour.  So why don’t you go ahead and take a shower and put on the dress while I go and check on that.”

“… okay,” she says, then Joel gives her the bag with her new clothes and starts to walk toward the door.  She looks at the room again, then looks at him. “Ummm… Joel?”

“Yes, kiddo!” he says, looking back at her. 

“Thanks!… this is really beautiful, I really like it… this is going to be the best birthday ever.”  

“I’m glad that you like it, baby… now go and dress up, I’ll be back soon.” Joel turns again to walk to the door and leave the room.  Ellie is so happy Joel did all this for her, even though her real birthday is tomorrow. But who cares? She is going to enjoy this night, and make sure to give Joel the proper thanks that he deserves.  She smiles at the last thought. Ellie takes her bag, goes to the bathroom, and starts to strip off her clothes. When she finishes, she turns on the water -- lucky for her they have hot water again, but this time she’s going to make sure to leave some for Joel.  She prefers to shower with Joel, but they can do that later. 

Half an hour later, Joel comes back with the food, which he puts on the table.  He had to bring it himself since the cook wants to charge extra to bring the food to the room. Joel prefers to bring it himself, but had to wait for 20 minutes to do that.  As soon as he sees Ellie coming out of the bathroom, his eyes move over her quickly. “Wow… you look… great, and beautiful,” he says, moving close to her. He gives her a little kiss, then tells her that he’s going to take a quick shower and change.  While he’s cleaning himself, Ellie puts the food on the plate and waits for him. As soon as Joel gets out of the bathroom, he sees Ellie sitting at the table, waiting. 

Joel walks over to her and gives her a small kiss on the lips.  “You didn't have to do that... you’re the birthday girl, so it’s my job to do all this for you today,” says Joel, moving away and sitting in the other chair in front of her.

“It’s okay, Joel, I think you did great with all this… ummm, it’s not like I don't love all this, but you know that my birthday is tomorrow, right?” she says, smiling.

“Of course.  I just wanted to do this in case we can’t later.”  Joel grabs the wine bottle and opens it, then pours a little wine in her glass and his own.   

“Are you sure you want me to be drinking?... You don’t think that I’m too young for that?” she asks while she takes her glass in her hand. 

“Well, you’re going to be 19 tomorrow, or in a few hours, anyway, so I don't think that a little wine is going to be bad for you.  Besides, this is a celebration, and you deserve to be treated like an adult now.” Ellie smiles at that and lifts her glass. Joel moves his glass forward, then clinks it against hers.

“I can drink to that,” says Ellie, raising her drink to her mouth and taking a sip.  As she puts the glass down, she sees that Joel is trying to say something, and waits for him to do it.

Joel puts his glass down, too, and looks at her.  “I’ve never been good at speeches, but I want to tell you that I’m very proud of the woman you’ve become.  And nothing makes me happier than to see you grow up, and see that beautiful smile on your face…” Joel wants to say something else, but as he looks at Ellie and sees a few tears in her eyes, he doesn’t want to get sentimental, too.  “Ummm, thank you for letting me be part of your life again. Happy birthday, kiddo,” he finishes and takes another sip of the wine. “I know this ain’t the best birthday speech, but I just--” 

Ellie moves forward and kisses him on the lips.  She really wants to jump on him and fuck him right there, but she is hungry, and she can do that later, anyway.  Some tears escape Ellie’s eyes as she sits back. Yeah, this wasn’t the best speech he could make, but hearing him say that he’s proud of her makes her the happiest woman in the world.  “Thanks, Joel… not only for doing all this, but also for all the things you’ve done for me since we met.”

“You deserve it, kiddo, and it makes me happy knowing that you’re happy, too.” 

“Yeah, I’m so happy… that I think that this is the best birthday I’ve ever had.  Not that you didn’t do some good ones before, but this one is the best... thanks.” 

“Well, let's start before the food gets cold,” says Joel, starting to dig into the food.  They eat and talk for almost two hours. They laugh at the story of the few birthdays she had before they met. Being in a military school didn't help much with that, but she had a friend there that always tried to make her feel good.  When they finish, Joel gets up from his seat and walks to where the bed is now, and picks up a box that’s beneath the bed. He turns and sees her looking at him. “Oh, this ain’t over yet, kiddo,” he says while he puts a small radio on the small table beside the bed. 

Ellie looks at him, surprised.  “Is that a cassette player?” she asks quickly.

“No, but it has a CD player.  The owner of the inn had one that works, so he loaned it to me for the night.”  Joel hits the play button, and as the music starts, he walks back to Ellie and extends his hand to her.  “Can you give me the honor to dance with me... milady?”

Ellie takes his hand and stands up.  “The honor is going to be all mine, but you know that I’m not good at dancing,” says Ellie, moving away from the table and into Joel’s arms.

“Oh, I think you did great last time, but like in the cabin, the only thing you need to do is follow my lead.”  As soon as Joel looks down, he notices that Ellie is wearing her sneakers. Ellie notices him looking, and looks down to see what he is looking at. 

“Oh, yeah!... Remember that we didn’t find any shoes for the dress.  And these are the only ones I have,” she says, looking back at him.

“It’s okay, kiddo, you don’t need to worry about that, you look great.” Joel does what he did the last time, taking Ellie’s hands, putting one on his waist and lifting up the other one. 

The first song is a slow one, so that gives Joel a good start with Ellie.  She looks at him while they dance around the room and smiles; he does the same.  Ellie feels like she can fly, being with Joel again… it’s the best thing that could have happened to her.  Those two and a half years without him were the worst, but now they are together again. They continue dancing while another song starts on the CD player.  This one is more romantic and slow, so Ellie moves closer to Joel, puts her head on his shoulder, and closes her eyes. 

“I love you, Joel, and I don't know what I’d do if I didn’t find you,” she says with her eyes still closed.

“You don't need to worry about that, I’m not going anywhere,” Joel says, pulling her closer to him and kissing her on the head. 

Ellie pushes herself back just a little bit so she can look him in the eye.  They look at each other with love in their eyes. As the music continues, Ellie moves her hand to the back of Joel’s neck, pulls him down to her, and kisses him. The kiss becomes more passionate as they continue. She moves her tongue inside of his mouth, trying to taste him more.  They’ve been doing this for a long time now, but she always feels like it’s the first time. Since their relationship is now more formal, and she is more grown up now, she knows that Joel is not going to think that he is having sex with a teen girl… it’s more like with a woman now.

While they continue kissing, Joel moves his hand on her back, massaging it in circles while they make out.  They start to get more heated when the music passes from a slower one to a fast one. By that time, they’ve lost the focus on the music, focusing more on themselves.  As the time passes, Joel moves his hand lower than before, and starts to touch her ass. Ellie gasps inside his mouth as soon as she feels his hand playing on her back.  She loves the sensation, and knowing what is going to come next. She is really surprised that he makes the first move; he always tries to resist when she wants to have sex with him.  But since she is going to be 19 in a few hours, maybe Joel feels more comfortable with them having sex. 

After they break the kissing to get some air, Ellie takes the opportunity and starts to kiss him on the neck.  “Ohhh… Joel, I love you so much… and… and I need you… right now!” Ellie says between kisses. 

Joel doesn't need to be a genius to know what Ellie wants, because right now, he wants it, too. So he lowers his hand a little more until he’s grabbing her by her thighs, and lifts her up.  As soon as Ellie feels Joel lifting her from the floor, she grabs his waist with her legs. Joel starts to kiss her again on the mouth while he walks toward the bed with Ellie in his arms. As he gets close to the bed, he lays her there slowly and gently.  Ellie lets go of him as soon as she is on the bed, and Joel sits on the bed beside her. He goes to her feet and starts to take off her shoes. When he finishes with hers, he takes off his own. After that, he moves up on the bed and lays on top of her, putting his hands on both sides of Ellie’s head and starting to kiss her again.  In that moment, Ellie moves her hands and starts to unbutton Joel’s shirt, slowly. “Oh, Joel, I never told you how handsome you look tonight!... your new shirt looks really great,” says Ellie, continuing with her task. 

Ellie helps Joel to finally take off his shirt, and after he throws it aside, he turns back and looks at Ellie.  “Umm… thanks... you look beautiful in that dress, too,” says Joel, smiling.

“Yeah, it’s nice so far, but it’s in the way now,” says Ellie, sitting up on the bed.  She starts to unzip the back of the dress to take it off. 

Joel grabs her hand to stop her.  “Let me do that for you.” Ellie smiles at him as he moves close and starts to get the dress off of her.  After he undoes the zipper, he pulls the dress up and takes it off of her. He throws the dress to the floor, too, and when his eyes return to Ellie, he sees that Ellie isn’t wearing any bra.  He helps Ellie to lay down on the bed again, then moves on top of her, without touching her body. He starts to give her little kisses... first he kisses her on the forehead, then starts to move down.  He kisses her nose, her lips, and continues down until he arrives at her stomach. As he does that, he grabs one of Ellie’s breasts and starts to massage it. Ellie is starting to moan a little. She moves her finger into her mouth and bites it softly.  That way, she can resist being so loud. Then Joel moves up and starts to suck on her nipple... he starts to do it softly, then he uses his tongue to circle and suck it, and sometimes he does it harder. Ellie arches her back at the sensation. 

“Ohhh, fuck… Joel, I was waiting for… this… too long...”  She grabs the back of his head with both hands, to make him not stop using his mouth on her breast.  As Joel continues sucking her breast, he moves his other hand down and enters through her panties until his fingers start touching her entrance.  As Joel starts to pass his fingers over her, he can feel that she is already wet, so he starts to rub her clitoris with his fingers. That starts to send some kind of electricity over all of Ellie’s body.  He moves his head up and starts to kiss her on her neck while his fingers continue with their work. “Do you like it?” asks Joel between kisses.

“Ahhh… fuck!... Joel, you’re going to make me come… ummm... just by doing that,” says Ellie, moaning.  Joel smiles at her and starts to move down. He continues kissing her all the way down again while Ellie puts her hand on her face, trying to hold in the scream of pleasure she wants to let out so hard now.  Joel moves between her legs and starts to pull her panties down. After he takes off her panties, he grabs her legs and separates them wider. He he grabs one leg and puts it over his shoulder, and moves the other to the side.  Then he uses one hand to open her lips a little, moves his head close, and starts to pass his tongue over her. First, he starts with a little sucking, but then he introduces his tongue inside of her. The sensation starts to make her crazy.  She is breathing harder and faster, and her belly is moving fast, too, while her climax is getting closer. Joel continues sucking and fingering her for 15 minutes, until Ellie can’t hold it in any longer.

“Ohhh… Fuck!... yeahhhh… ummmm… I’m going to come… soon...” she moves her hand to try to push Joel away before her orgasm explodes, but she’s too late, because as soon as Joel starts to suck her clitoris, she comes on his face.  She moves her hands to her mouth and screams into them, and starts to feel a little embarrassed for that. He moves his head away and looks at her. She is covering her face with her hands, trying not to see Joel’s face. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean to do that, I tried to push you away… but it was… too late,” she starts to apologize while she tries to get some air back.   

“You don't need to apologize for that... if you want to know the truth, the taste ain’t so bad,” says Joel, moving to her side so he can see her face.

“Really!... do you… ummm… really like that?” asks Ellie, a little surprised.  Joel’s done that before, but she doesn't remember coming in his face. She looks at him more curiously now. “Can I taste… ummm… yours?” she asks, a little shy.

After he cleans his face, Joel moves close to her and kisses her.  “Not today… today is only for you, okay?”

“But that’s for me, too… ummm, I’ve never tasted that before.”

“Don't worry, kiddo, we’re going to have time for that later.”  Ellie smiles at that, because now that she knows that Joel is never going to leave her, she can wait for that.  After Joel kisses her, he starts to caress her face with his hand and smiles. “Happy birthday, kiddo,” he says, then he kisses her again.

“Thanks, Joel, the dinner was great and this is even better.  Sometimes, I don't know how you manage to do all these cute things.”

“Cute!... ha…ummm, I don't remember being cute.  I only want to make you happy,” says Joel, looking at her and smiling.

Ellie moves close to him again.  “Do you know what makes me real happy?” Ellie says, looking in his eyes.

“What makes you happy, kiddo?... Just tell me and I promise I will do my best to make sure you are.”

“I think you already did that, because what makes me real happy is when I’m with you.”  Ellie puts one hand behind his neck and pulls his head to hers. And as soon as they are close, she kisses him.  She loves kissing him; it’s like she’s never going to get tired of that. They start to kiss each other more passionately than before.  Joel puts one hand on her waist and starts moving it slowly. Ellie moves one of her hands down and starts to unbutton Joel’s pants while they continue kissing. 

He stops and moves a little away from her, just so he can see her face.  “Are you sure that you want to do this here?” Joel asks, looking at her and waiting for her to respond.

“Joel, this is my birthday, and I think that we’ve already had some sex.  And the only present I want is you. So yeah, I want you to make love to me in here.  I don't care if everyone hears us.” 

“Okay, I just wanted to be sure.”  After that, he starts to move off of the bed, but Ellie grabs his arm and stops him.

“If you’re going to take your pants off, just lay down... I can do that for you.”  Ellie practically pulls Joel back to the bed and sits on his legs. She starts to unbutton his pants and take his belt off.  As soon as she does that, she moves down from his leg and starts to pull his pants down. As she does that, Joel’s member goes free as Ellie pulls down his underwear with his pants. When she finishes, Ellie throws his pants on the floor and takes a look at Joel’s hard member. “Wow… Joel!... looks bigger than before.”  She moves up again and sits on his leg, moves her hand and grabs his member, and starts to move it slowly up and down. 

Joel leans up on his elbow and looks at her.  “Ellie!.. What are you doing?” He is about to protest, but Ellie moves forward and starts to masturbate him faster.  Joel closes his eyes and lays back down on the bed. “Ahhhhh… fuck!” he puts his hand on his face as he tries to muffle any sound.  “Shit… Ellie, you’re going to kill me.” He says it in a lower voice, but Ellie smiles at his reaction, knowing how much pleasure she’s giving him.  As Joel covers his face, Ellie moves close to him until her head is on top of his member. Joel has told her that she doesn't have to do what she is thinking about doing right now.  The temptation is there, but she doesn’t want to do something that is going to make Joel uncomfortable. She only wants to feel what it’s like to have his member in her mouth, and tasting his juice, the same way he tasted hers.  Ellie continues with her work, and hears Joel making some sounds... it’s something she’s not going to forget. Joel always makes sure that the sex experience is good for her -- shit, he makes her come sometimes with just his finger. 

“Joel!...”

“Ummm… fuck!… Ahhhh… Ellie!... I don't think this is a good moment… to talk.”

She stops stroking him for a moment and leans up so he can see her face.  “Can… can I do it… at least once?” she asks him, her hand still grabbing his member. 

Joel takes his hand off his face, leans up on his elbows, and looks at her. “Ellie, we talked about that -- you don’t have to do that, that ain’t part--”   

“Yeah… I know what you said, but you do it for me, so why can’t I do the same for you?” says Ellie sadly. 

“Because it’s different for you, and I don’t want you to feel obligated because I did that to you  and--” he is interrupted again. 

“Yeah, you gave me pleasure with that, so why can’t I do the same… I just--”

Joel leans forward and grabs her face in his hand, causing Ellie to let go of her hold on him.  “Ellie, look at me…” She doesn't want to turn this happy day into a discussion, so she stops talking and looks at him while he continues. “I know that you want to do that for me, and I’m really happy for that.  But you don't need to worry about that. We’re going to have time for that later, I promise, I just think that you’re not ready for that yet,” he says, looking in her eyes.

Ellie is going to protest again, but she doesn’t want to ruin the night by getting into a discussion with Joel.  So she moves close and starts to kiss him again. The kiss starts to make her more excited, and soon, Ellie introduces her tongue to his mouth.  

Ellie is still sitting on his leg, so she moves closer, then leans up a little until her entrance is on top of his dick.  As soon as she feels the tip of his member, she starts moving down, getting his dick to go inside. The sensation is incredible, so she does it the slowest way possible, trying to make the feeling last longer.  She hasn't felt Joel inside her since she left the cabin. She buries her face in Joel’s shoulder and starts moaning while his dick continues penetrating her. As Joel is completely inside her, he moves his leg to a better position until they are sitting on the bed. Joel grabs Ellie’s buttocks and starts helping her to move up and down slowly.

Ellie feels like a shock of electricity running inside her.  As she continues moving, she feels Joel’s dick stretching her inside, like his dick is getting wider and longer and her pussy got smaller in the past month.  The sensation is incredible... she feels like they are two people connecting into one, by body and soul. She can barely contain herself. “Ohhh… Fuck!... Joel, make me yours... do it harder… make me your woman…” Joel moves one hand up, grabs a portion of Ellie’s hair, and yanks it back.  Ellie’s head moves away from Joel’s shoulder until her face is in front of Joel’s. Her mouth is all open, gasping for air, and her neck is completely exposed to Joel. Joel starts to move faster, pulling Ellie’s hair harder. Ellie’s fingernail is digging in on Joel’s back, but neither of them feel the pain.  Their bodies are completely submerged in the ocean of pleasure. Ellie has her eyes closed, facing the ceiling of the room and moaning more loudly now. She tries to press her lips together to stop the sound coming out of her mouth, but it’s nearly impossible. 

Joel isn’t so silent ether; even though he’s had sex with Ellie a few times, he doesn’t know why this time he feels so wild, just like he is making love for the first time.  He feels her inside him, not only her body but her soul, too. He’s never felt like this before, not even with Sarah’s mother. It’s like a connection between the two of them, more than love, like their souls are connected... like they are one.  Joel watches her face, her eyes shut and her mouth wide open. He can see her pain become pleasure, and all he wants is to give her that. He yanks her hair again a little harder, making her scream a little more while he continues moving inside her, faster and harder.  He can feel Ellie getting wetter, so he knows that her climax is upon her now. He knows that she is going to come soon, but he wants her to enjoy this as long as possible, so he slows down a little and lets go of Ellie’s hair. “Ohhhh… Ellie, I love you so much… God knows how much… ahhhh” he says, looking at the ceiling now as he continues making love to her. 

Ellie moves her head down and looks at his face.  “I love you too, Joel… with all... my heart and soul…” she says between moaning.  “Ahhhhh… I’m close… I want you to… fuck me as hard… as you can… pleeeease!...” Ellie moves her head close to Joel and kisses him hard, almost biting his lips and digging her fingers into his back harder, sending the signal to him that this time, she doesn’t want Joel to hold back. 

Joel gets the signs, so he lets go of her butt and grabs Ellie’s hair with both hands this time.  He yanks her head backward, harder this time, making Ellie scream a little at the pain. Then he starts to move harder and faster in her, sending all the strength of his body into hers.  She is facing the ceiling again with her mouth wide open, gasping for air as she continues moaning harder. After a few minutes of that, Joel sees that she’s getting close again, so he moves his mouth close to her neck, which is completely exposed to him, and starts to suck it.  As he moves faster, he presses his teeth into Ellie’s neck, like he’s a vampire and trying to suck her blood out of her. He sucks harder and yanks her hair harder as he presses his dick more inside her, faster and faster, until both of them can’t resist any longer. “FUCK!!!” both scream at the same time as they come together.  Ellie buries her face in Joel’s shoulder and starts to breathe faster while Joel holds her tight. 

After they finish, a loud bang on the wall can be heard, then someone starts to yell. “HEY!... WILL YOU TWO BE MORE QUIET?... PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP HERE!... fuck, what is wrong with this place, Jesus!..” says a man from the next room, through the wall.

Joel and Ellie start laughing a little.  “Shit!… I think we woke up... half of the people in the inn.”  Ellie tries to hold in her laugh at Joel’s comment, but a little escapes from her, even though she’s still gasping for air.  Joel is breathing faster, too, but manages to speak. “I’m sorry… kiddo… with all the excitement… I came inside you. I’m not supposed to do that -- the last thing I want to do is make you pregnant.” 

Ellie moves her head away from his shoulder and looks at him.  “You don't need to apologize for that. I know that you don--... that we don’t want that.  But don't worry, my period was 2 weeks ago, so I think we’re going to be fine.” 

Joel looks at her and gives her a little smile, and starts to help her get up from him.  “You know that we need to be careful on that, right?!... we can't go all the way without any protection.”  

Ellie gets off of him and lays on the bed.  “Yeah… I know, but like I said, you don’t need to worry about it -- everything is fine.”  Ellie knows that Joel doesn't want to have children again, but she wants them -- not now, of course... she is only 19 now.  Maybe in a couple of years, she’ll want to have one, but she is going to need to convince Joel for that. But that is a conversation for another time.   

Joel moves and lays beside her.  He notices that she hasn’t said anything for the last 2 minutes, and sees her with a sad expression.  He doesn't know why, but he has to do something -- the last thing he wants is to make Ellie feel bad on her birthday.  Besides, the last part was his fault, not hers. “Well, it’s better if we take a little shower and go to bed before more people start to yell at us.”

Ellie turns her head and looks at him, smiling.  “Yeah, the shower... I love that part... maybe we can--” She stops when Joel gives her a look.  “What!... I wasn’t going to suggest anything!... we can leave that for tomorrow… I’m tired. What time is it, anyway?”

“I think it’s 2:00 am… Yeah, we can do that another time... just take a little shower to clean up and go to bed.” Then Joel moves close to her and gives her a little kiss.

Ellie starts to move out of the bed and walk toward the bathroom.  “Soooo… what’s our plan for tomo-- I mean, later in the morning -- besides more sex, of course.”  

Joel opens his eyes wider.  “Are you serious?” 

“Yeah!... it’s my birthday, and you said that you were going to compensate me for the lost time.”

“I don't remember saying that… and besides, I barely feel my legs... I’m not 20 anymore, remember.” 

“Oh, c'mon!... you can outrun a bear, kill a bunch of infected by yourself, and walk all day without getting tired.  So you’re trying to tell me that I wear you out?” says Ellie, trying to hold in her laugh. 

“Well, for a man of my age, keeping up with you is going to be hard.” Joel moves off the bed, too, and follows her.  

“Ha, ha, ha, I was just fucking with you.  I love you, no matter what,” Ellie says as soon as she enters the bathroom.  Then she turns on the water and gets in. 

Joel enters after her.  “I love you too, kiddo, and nothing is going to change that.”  They stay in the shower for half an hour, then they go back to the room.  Ellie puts on the shirt that Joel bought for the dinner and gets in the bed.  Joel finds a shirt that’s not dirty, puts it on, and goes to bed beside Ellie.  A few minutes later, both of them fall asleep. 

 

(next day afternoon)

Ellie starts to open her eyes at the sound of people talking at the door.  She looks out the window, trying to see if the sun is out already. But the curtains are too dark a color, and she can't be sure of that.  The room is still a little dark, so she doesn't know what time it is. She is covered with the sheet from head to toe, so nobody can see her.  Ellie tries to hear what they’re saying, and tries to figure out who the other person is that Joel is talking to. The voice sounds like a woman, and she is laughing a little, too, so why Joel is talking to a woman at the door... that intrigues her.  After a few minutes, Ellie hears Joel thanking her and closing the door. Ellie moves the sheet a little off of her face and looks at Joel; she sees him putting a box on the table they used for dinner last night. After Joel puts the box on the table, Ellie moves the sheet off of her and sits down on the bed.  She is still wearing Joel’s shirt, so she’s not completely naked. “Good morning, Joel, did you get a good sleep?” 

Joel turns his head toward her and smiles.  “Hey, kiddo, good morning to you, too. I didn't notice that you were awake.  And yes, I had a good sleep, how about you?” says Joel, moving away from the table.

“Yeah, I did… ummm, what time is it?” asks Ellie, passing her fingers over her eyes. 

“It’s almost 12.30 in the afternoon,“ says Joel, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed.

“What!... did we sleep all morning?” asks Ellie, a little surprised. 

“Well, at least you did... we got to sleep at 4:00 in the morning, remember?”

Ellie’s face turns a little red while she thinks about what happened last night -- well, early in the morning, if she wants to be technical.   _ Shit... that was the best birthday ever,  _ she says to herself. 

Joel moves close to her and smiles.  “Well, I’m glad that you had a good sleep, because we have a few things to do today.  C’mon, kiddo, you need to change.” Then Joel leans forward and kisses her on the lips, softly.

Ellie takes the opportunity to hug him.  “Thank you, Joel… you know, for everything.” 

Joel hugs her back, then moves off of the bed and starts to walk toward the bathroom.  “You’re welcome, kiddo, you know that I will do anything for you… so what do you want to do first?”

“I don't know... I really want us to stay here all day.  It’s still my birthday, you know!”

Joel turns around and looks at her.  “Why do you want to stay here all day?... There’s nothing to do in here -- you’ll get bored in no time.” 

“Oh, don't worry about that.  I have a few things in mind that we can do here.”  She lays down on the bed again and pats the side of the bed where Joel sleeps, as a suggestion to get back in bed with her.  

“Shit, girl, what the hell do you want to do to me?… on second thought, don't tell me.  I don't want to know.”

“Oh, don't worry, Joel, I’ll let you rest before we do something,” she says, smiling at him.  She moves up to a sitting position again on the bed and looks at him. “So are you going to tell me what’s in that box, and why a woman gave it to you?” asks Ellie, pointing to the table.

“Ha, don't tell me you’re going to get jealous for that?...”  Ellie looks at him, rolls her eyes, and gives him a hard look.  “Okay, okay… well, if you want to know, that woman was supposed to bring that last night.  But since she couldn't, she brought it today… since today is your birthday, I think that you can go and open it.”  Joel smiles at her.

“Really!... but what is it?... that’s my birthday present?” asks Ellie, moving off of the bed and walking to the table. 

As Ellie passes him, Joel starts to walk behind her and put his hand on her shoulder.  “Go ahead, kiddo… open it!” Ellie turns her head and looks at him with a smile on her face, then moves closer to the table and starts to open the box.  As soon as she finishes, she doesn’t believe what she sees. “I know it was a little rushed, but it was hard to find someone that still does that, especially in here... So what do you think?... do you like it?” asks Joel, trying to look at her expression.

Ellie just stays there for a moment, not knowing what to say.  “Joel, it’s perfect, thanks... but how… how did you find someone here to do it?” Ellie looks at the cake that is in the box; on the top it says “Happy Birthday Ellie with all my love Joel” -- Ellie turns around and hugs him with some tears starting to show in her eyes. 

“So you like it?” Joel says, hugging her back.

“Like it?... Joel, I love it!…Thank you, thank you, thank you….”  She starts to give him little kisses all over his face. Then she turns around and tastes the frosting of the cake.  “Ummm... this is so good… oh my God!” she says, grabbing a big piece and putting it in her mouth.

“Well, I’m happy that you like it… so happy birthday… again!,” Joel says, smiling at her.  Ellie looks at him and smiles, then she moves close to the cake and with two fingers, grabs a portion of the cake’s frosting.  She turns and looks at Joel again. “Oh no, no, no… you don't,” says Joel, moving backward as Ellie tries to put some of the frosting on his face.  Joel quickly turns and starts running away from Ellie. Ellie starts chasing him all over the room. 

“Oh… C’mon, Joel, don't you want to taste my cake?” she asks, laughing.


	35. Rapid City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After they celebrate Ellie's birthday in the trade town. Joel and Ellie continue their travel back to Jackson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 34 : Rapid City**

  
  
  


Joel and Ellie have a wonderful time in the trade town.  During Ellie’s birthday, they rest in the room for the rest of the day.  At night, Ellie has her wish and takes a shower with Joel, and they finally have sex there.  Ellie enjoys every second of that time -- not only the sex time, but spending all that time with Joel, without anybody trying to kill them.  The next day, they go to the market again and buy the things they need for the journey back to Jackson. Joel tells Ellie that as soon as they get to the border of South Dakota, they will enter Wyoming.  After that, it’s going to be like two to three weeks until they get to Jackson. 

Joel pays for the room for one more day so they can have a good rest before getting out of the town and continuing their travel.  They wake up early the next morning and pack their things. Joel goes to the owner of the inn and thanks him; even though he is not accustomed to doing that, the man was a great help, and sometimes it’s good to leave a place on good terms, in case you need to get back there.  When they get to the town gate, they pick up their weapons, and lucky for them, they never discovered that Ellie was hiding a gun. After they got all of them back, they walk out of town. Joel is glad that this place is better for trade now… maybe he can tell Tommy about it so Jackson can add a new town to trade with on their map.  

  
  


***Two Weeks Later***

  
  


Now that Joel and Ellie have arrived at the border of the state of South Dakota, they’re getting closer to their home.  Lucky for them, they haven’t run into any hunters or gangs on the way there. They only found a few infected in some of the places they used to sleep in.  By the time they get there, they’ve consumed almost all the supplies they got in the town. They try to hunt on the way, but that doesn’t help much, as they haven’t found anything good that can give them something to eat for a few weeks.  After a few days of traveling, they are using the main road that is going to take them to the border and into the state of Wyoming. They walk all day, and when night falls, they start to look for a place to pass the night. After a few hours, they get lucky and find an old gas station.  Joel and Ellie proceed with caution and go in. They check if there are any infected people in there. After they check the place out, they don’t find any infected there, so they decide to spend the night in there. 

After they get settled down, Ellie is sitting on the floor, looking through her backpack.  “Hey, Joel!... do you have the 2 cans of SpaghettiOs that we found 2 days ago?” asks Ellie without looking at him.

“No, kiddo, you put them in your backpack, remember?” answers Joel as he finishes preparing the fire pit that they are going to use for the night.  The place has no windows and part of the roof is gone, so he put the fire pit in that part -- so the smoke can go up and not stay in the building. 

“Shit!... I thought that you had them in your backpack.  So that means that we ate them yesterday… _ fuck! _ ... Joel, what are we going to eat now?” asks Ellie, tossing her backpack in a corner.  Then she stands up and walks toward the fire. 

“It’s okay, kiddo, I still have a few energy bars that we bought in the town... here, take two.”  Joel gives the bars to Ellie as soon as she sits beside him. 

Ellie takes the bars from Joel’s hand, opens one, and takes a bite.  “Ummm… these... are... great.” She speaks with her mouth full. Then Ellie closes her eyes while chewing the food, just to make the flavor last longer.  “How many of these do you have?” she asks, looking at Joel now. 

“Only 4, but we still have a few slices of dry meat from the last hunt.  But that ain’t going to hold for long, so we need to find something else soon,” he says, putting a few more sticks on the fire.

“Well, maybe we can try to hunt something tomorrow.  If we catch something big, that can give us enough food for a few weeks,” she says, taking another bite of the bar.

“Yeah, but I don't think that we’re going to find something like that in this part of the state.  We haven't seen any animal big enough for that during our trip from the trade town to here.” 

“Then we’ll catch something smaller... we can still find some rabbits or foxes.  Or maybe we can find a river close to here and try to fish something.”

“Okay, let’s see what’s close in this area.”  Then Joel moves to the side and grabs his backpack.  He checks inside, grabs his map, and pulls it out. He starts to open it and put it on the floor in front of him, and starts looking at it.  He moves his fingers and tries to locate the position where they are now. 

Ellie moves closer and starts to look at the map too, while she finishes the food.  “Do you know where we are?” asks Ellie, still looking at the map. 

Joel moves his hand and points at the map, to the location where they are right now.  “We are here, and this is the state border. We can get there in a few days... after that, it’s like 2 or 3 weeks until Jackson.”

Ellie looks at the map again and points to something on there.  “What is this?... is this a town?... If it is, maybe we can find something in there... what do you think?” Ellie starts asking.

“I don't think so, kiddo, that’s too big for that... it’s a small city, so it’s better if we don`t go that way,” says Joel with a firm voice.

“Why not?... if it’s big enough, there’s a possibility that we’ll find something edible in there.  Besides, we’ve been inside a big city before,” says Ellie with a convincing voice.

“This ain’t like those, Ellie.  This one is bigger, so that means that it could have a lot of infected people in there.”   

“Joel, we’re going to run out of food soon.  So that option is better, if we can find something to eat faster in there.”

“It ain’t worth it, kiddo.  It’s going to be more dangerous to go there.  We can run into a lot of infected, or worse… hunters.  And after the trade town, we don't have too many bullets for that.”    

“Well, we don’t have too many options here.  If we go and try to hunt, and don’t find anything, we’re not going to make it back to Jackson,” she says, looking at him, trying to get him to see it’s the best option they have.   

Joel keeps looking at the map, trying to find a solution to their problem, but he doesn’t see one.  He doesn't like to go into any city; they are nothing but trouble. More infected to fight or hunters trying to kill everyone they see.  After a few moments, he shakes his head and looks at Ellie. “Okay, maybe we can go there and check it out. But with one condition: we’re not going too deep into the city, just a few blocks in... and if we don't find anything, we get out… okay?” 

Ellie moves to his side and gives him a hug.  “Sure, Joel, no problem… thanks… I hope that we find something good in there,” she says, moving closer and kissing him on the cheek.

“Well, I hope so, because the risk is high.  Now we should go to sleep; we still have a lot to walk  tomorrow.” Joel stands up from the fire pit, moves to the sleeping bag that they brought with them from the cabin, and lays down.  Ellie follows him and lays down beside Joel. She moves close to him and puts her head on his chest. “Good night, kiddo,” says Joel, putting one arm around her.

Ellie smiles and snuggles close to him; she loves having him that close.  “Good night, Joel.”

After that, both of them fall asleep.

  
  


***Next day, in another place***

  
  


On one of the main routes in the state of South Dakota, a jeep is traveling to the west.  Inside the vehicle are Matt and 4 of his men -- the last ones he has left after the attack at the cabin that ended very badly for him.  Thomas is driving the jeep, Matt is in the right seat, looking at the road, and the other 3 men are in the back seat.

They are still trying to find Hunter and the girl that’s supposed to be with him.  After a few weeks of recovering from his injuries, he and his men started looking for Hunter and the girl that was with him.  But after several weeks without finding any clues to where Hunter and his girl went, he finally found a clue on where he was probably going.  And now, only one thing is in Matt’s mind, and that is to find Hunter and make him pay for what he did to him. 

The men in the jeep are silent, until one of his men speaks.  “Hey boss!... do you really believe that that man in the trade town was telling the truth?”   

“I don't think he was lying, after Thomas cut off three of his fingers,” says Matt, still looking at the road.  

“Yeah, but we’ve been on this route for three days, and nothing.  This country is really big, and he could go--”

Matt turns around and looks at the man with a serious face.  “Stop whining and shut up. We killed a lot of people in that town to get the information we have now.  That stupid owner of the inn has no reason to protect that motherfucker. So I think that he was telling us the truth, before... I ENDED HIS PATHETIC FUCKING LIFE!” Matt yells at the young man that is part of his group.

“Hey, Matt, you need to relax.  I know that the boy doesn't mean anything,” says Rudy, the medic of the team, to calm him down. 

Matt turns to look at the front again and tries to relax.  “I’m calm, Doc… I’m calm. I just want to find that fucker and make him pay.”  He can’t believe that one man and a girl killed all of Amber’s men and almost all of his.  After Hunter betrayed them, the general sent a few teams after him. But since they returned with no clue where he went, Amber offered to take a team and go after him.  Her team was 8 men in total, but the general sent Matt and his team with her so he could keep an eye on her. 

After several months without finding anything, Amber got some information about a group of Fireflies that were still looking for a cure… also, that the man in charge of the group was looking for a girl and an old man traveling with her.  After they gave her the description of the man they were looking for, she knew that Hunter fit the description, so she decided to look for this group and make a deal with them. Even though her father had been hunting the Fireflies for years, she decided to work with them to find Hunter.  She decided to find Hunter, no matter what she needed to do to accomplish that. 

After Amber found the group and made the deal, she found some clues to where he may be, so she split the team in two to cover more ground.  Matt took his team and went to the center of the state of Minnesota while hers went up to the mountain. Amber and Matt arranged that if they hadn’t found anything in a week, they would go back to meet in the state of Nebraska.

After the week passed and she didn’t show up, Matt decided to go after her into the mountains, but had to stop after a snowstorm hit the mountain and they couldn’t get there, forcing them to wait for a few months, until the path through the mountain got cleared.    

Back in the jeep, Matt is looking at a map and trying to figure out where Hunter is going next.  He is checking all the routes on the map that he could have taken after he left the little trade town.  “Okay, guys, if we continue on this road, it’s going to take us to Rapid City, and since they’re traveling on foot, they must be out of food by now.  The best option for them to try to get more food is in there. So that is where we’re going to intercept them and then kill them,” says Matt, closing the map.

“Kill them!... I thought that we were going to take Hunter back to the general.  He wanted him alive, remember?” says Rudy from the back seat. 

“And what about the girl -- the man from the inn said that he was with a girl.  So she must be the one that was with him in the cabin, trying to pass for Amber,”  says another of his men.

“Yeah, he is right… and if this girl is the one that Amber was looking for, she’s the one that those Fireflies were looking for, too.  The one that she made the deal with the Fireflies... to find her for them. So if she is the one, she could be a little useful for us.” 

Matt turns his head to the back seat and looks the man in the eye.  “I don't care if that girl is the one that Amber was looking for. Those two killed Amber and all her men -- and half of mine, too.  There’s not going to be any deal now.” 

“Yeah, but we can get so--” 

“Look at my... FACE!... Look at what they did to me?  Also, they killed Amber, and look what they did to us, and to our brothers.  We can’t take Hunter back to the general now!... what do you think is going to happen to us when the general finds out that we let him kill his only daughter... ummmm!  We’re dead men now, and the only thing we have left is revenge. So there’s not going to be any deal. I’m going to kill that motherfucker, but before that, all of you can fuck that little cunt while he watches.”  He turns his head back to the front. 

Everybody in the back seat stays silent, thinking about what they’re going to do.  In one way, Matt is right: Amber is dead, and the general is going to be real pissed as soon as he finds out. So if they go back there, the general’s probably going to kill them, too.  But if they catch the girl and give her to the Fireflies, they might have a chance to start over in another place. The only problem is how they do that without Matt killing them, too. Okay!... we’re going to follow you and kill that bastard who killed our brothers,” says Ruby, and the other two men agree with him.

Thomas continues his driving while another man talks.  “Hey boss, isn’t the city that you mentioned close to that base where those ex-Firefly people are?”  

“Yeah, I think so, but don't worry about that -- we’re going to catch them before those assholes know that we’re there,” says Thomas.  With that, he accelerates the jeep and continues on the way to the city. 

 

***Two days later***

  
  


Joel and Ellie are now walking on the main street that leads to the city.  They just passed the sign that says  **Welcome to Rapid City.** There are a lot of cars on the road, some of them so old and rusted that only part of the car remains.  After 10 minutes, they get close to the first buildings of the city that are now old and decayed. Some plants are growing on the sidewalk and some water fills the streets; there is a lot of  garbage, too. They used up the last of the food the night before, so now they are hoping to find something to eat. As they walk close to the first building, Joel pulls Ellie to the side and hides behind an old car that is close by.

“Okay, so far there’s no infected on this street, but that don’t mean that there’s not any inside the building.  So we need to do this the quietest way possible,” explains Joel to Ellie while he looks at the street, waiting to see if any infected show up.  

Ellie looks at him and smiles, trying to hold in her giggle as she remembers her birthday night.  She composes herself when Joel looks at her with a serious expression. But that makes her giggle even more.  “You know!... making that face is not going to make me stop.” 

“Why are you laughing?... Ellie, this is serious, we’re only here because we don't have any other choice,” says Joel while he puts his gun in the holster and takes his knife out.

“Okay… okay, I’m going to be serious.  I was just remembering something. Anyway, what building are we going to check first?” says Ellie, looking at the one in front of her. 

“Yeah, it’s better if we concentrate on the one that sells food, or something like that.  These streets are all commercial, so it’s possible that we can find something in here. Let’s go to that one first, okay?” says Joel, pointing to the building that is closest to them.

“Okay… that sounds good.”  Then she starts to follow Joel as soon as he stands up and starts walking. 

An hour later, they’ve already checked a few buildings on the street that they used to enter the city.  But they aren't lucky; all of them are empty on food, not even a candy bar machine in there. It looks like this part of the city was cleaned out a long time ago.  They continue moving with caution on the sidewalk, and enter another store, but like the few before that, they don’t find anything to eat in there. So far, they haven’t encountered any infected, so that starts to worry Joel, too.

Cities like this always have a lot of infected, but so far, this looks clean, so that means that someone has been killing all the infected in this area.  They move and enter another store across the street, and after 20 minutes, they haven’t found anything to eat there, either. As they leave the store, Ellie is a little disappointed.  She convinced Joel to come here with the hope of finding some food, but so far, nothing. “Okay, this is a waste of time... it’s past midday already and all the buildings of this street are empty,” says Joel, looking at the street that follows the one they are on.  

“Maybe it's better if we go out of this city and go back to the forest.  Maybe we can hunt something to eat there,” says Ellie, standing beside him. 

It is past midday now; Joel knows that continuing in the city and trying to find something is going to be riskier.  As time passes, they can run into infected people or the people that have been killing them. But what can he do?... Ellie hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday, and she is not going to continue like that for long -- even though when he asked her, she said that she is okay. He needs to find something soon, before the hunger starts to affect them. “Okay, I’ll check the map again, and there’s a small hotel on the next block.  I know I said that we shouldn’t go more into the city, but we don’t have much choice now. If we find nothing in there, we move out of the city and try to find something to hunt in the closest forest. Is that okay with you?” Joel asks, standing in front of her.

“That sounds like a plan,” says Ellie with a little smile on her face.  They start to walk toward the next street, moving close to the abandoned buildings to make sure not to be seen if someone shows up.  When they get to the corner of the block, Joel stops her and takes a peek, hiding himself against the wall. He checks the street and sees the hotel on the other side.  The signs with the name of the place are broken, and part of that is on the floor... the glass from the front window is broken, but besides that, the place doesn't look so bad.  Joel checks the street again, and as he doesn't see anything suspicious, he indicates for Ellie to follow him. 

They cross the street in no time and stop in front of the building. “Okay, let’s check the first floor first and see if we can find something to eat.”  Joel starts to walk through the broken door and get into the lobby, Ellie entering behind him. He takes his knife out and starts to check the place out.  There is not much in there; the front desk is half broken, like many of the other things in there… also, there is a lot of garbage there. “Okay, from what I can see, there’s nothing in the lobby, so we need to check the kitchen -- there’s always things in there, and it’s probably in the back.”  He starts to move slowly, and stops when he sees Ellie moving in the other direction. “Ellie!... where are you going?” he asks, looking at her. 

“There is another room over there… see?” she says, pointing in that direction.  

“Yeah, I see it.  But it’s better if we stay together, so c'mon.  We can check that out after we take a look at the kitchen.”   

“You can go there and I can go to check the other room.  It’s going to be faster to check this place if we split up,” says Ellie, trying to explain the logic of that.

“Oh, no, no… I don't think that that’s a good idea.  It’s better if we stay together.”

“Joel, you don't need to worry about me -- I can take care of myself, and even if I saw any infected here, I have my gun ready, just in case.”

Joel looks at her, and even though he doesn't like the idea of letting her out of his sight, what she is saying is true.  They can get out of there faster if they split up, and he knows that she can take care of herself. “Okay, kiddo, but be careful, and if you find any infected, just scream and I’ll get to you as fast as I can.  And if you need to kill any, try to use your knife first, so that no more infected get attracted by the sound.” 

“Sure, Joel, don't worry, I know what to do,” she says and starts moving again.

Joel starts to move too, but stops and turns around.  “Hey, Ellie!”

“Yes, Joel?”  She turns her head to look at him

“Be careful!”

“You too!”

Then they start to move again, each in their own direction.

 

(Outside the building)

Across the street, in the building that faces the hotel, is a man watching with his binoculars.  He saw when Ellie and Joel entered the hotel; he’s waiting to see when they come out. But when he sees that they don’t, he sits back down on the roof and takes his radio out.  “Hey, Thomas!... are you there… over... I repeat, this is Raven one… is somebody listening?” the man starts on the radio.

After a few minutes, someone answers.  _ Grrrhhh… “This is Matt… Gary, is that you?... over.”  _

“Boss!... Yes, it’s me… I just want to inform you that I just saw an old man with a girl enter through the front door of the hotel on the main street… the one that is close to the gas station that we stayed at yesterday… I think it’s them… over.”       

Grrrhhh… “ _ Are you sure that it’s them? _ ” asks Matt on the other side.

“Yes, boss, I’m pretty sure that it’s them… it’s Hunter and the girl,” answers the man. 

_ Grrhhh _ ...  _ “Okay, that’s great… stay at your post.  I will call Thomas, and we’ll be there in 15 minutes.  Just let me know if they move out of the hotel.”  _

“Okay, boss… I will… over and out,” says the man on the roof.  After he puts the radio back on his belt, he grabs the binoculars from the floor and continues looking at the front door of the hotel, waiting for Matt and the others.


	36. Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie and Joel Continue their search for food in the city, but a someone found them, and want nothing more than revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 35 : Revenge**

  
  
  


After Joel and Ellie finish checking the first floor and don’t find anything in there, they move to the second floor to see if they can find something on that one. 

“Joel, what are we doing up here?... If we didn’t find anything down there, what are we going to find in the rooms?”

“Yeah, we didn't have too much luck in the kitchen, but in the old days, most of the hotel rooms had their own kitchen, so it’s possible that we can find something inside of them.  Also, on the rooms’ floor they put some vending machines... maybe we’ll get lucky up here, and find one.” 

“Oh… okay.  That sounds kind of cool.  So we’re going to check all the rooms?”

“That will take too much time.  We’ll only check a few of them on this floor, then we’ll move to the next floor,” says Joel while he starts to walk toward the first room.

 

( a few minutes later, outside) 

A jeep arrives at the street were the hotel is.  The driver parks the vehicle close, but not where someone in the building can see it.  Then 4 men step out of it and start to walk toward the front of the little hotel, where another man is waiting for them.  Matt approaches the man who is watching the hotel from the roof of the building across the street. “Are they still in there?” asks Matt as soon as he gets in front of the man.

“Yes, they’re still in there... I think they’re on the upper floor by now,” answers the man. 

Matt smiles and turns to face the others.  “Okay, men, just as I said before, Hunter is mine to kill, so if you get to him first, don`t kill him.  Try to take the girl alive, too, so that way, we can give the old man a really good show before I kill him.”  Some of the men smile at the last part. 

“Okay, men, you heard the boss -- prepare your guns,” says Thomas to the others.

“Rudy, you go to the back of the hotel and make sure no one tries to sneak in the back.  The rest of you, move in.” The group starts to get inside the hotel, as the doc moves to the side of the building and goes to the back.  As soon as they are inside, Matt speaks again. “Remember what happened at the cabin, guys. This is Hunter we’re dealing with, so be careful, and don't let him surprise you.  Thomas, take the boy with you and go to the third floor. I’ll take the second one with Jeff. Remember, radio silence for now; we don`t want to be noticed yet.” 

“Got it, boss, don't worry -- we’re going to get him this time.  Let’s go, boy.”

 

(In that moment on the upper floor)

Ellie is checking inside of one of the rooms on the third floor; after they didn't find anything on the second one, they moved to the third one.  She sees on the floor of the room some abandoned things, close to the broken bed. It looked like someone was staying in here before, but not recently, as she can see some dust on top of a few of the things.  Ellie continues checking the place; she opens the bathroom door of the room and sees a bag in the bathtub. She moves quickly and grabs the bag, then sits on the toilet and starts to open it. Her eyes open wider when she sees the contents of the bag.   _ Bingo! _ Finally, after almost all day, here they found something.  She opens her backpack and starts to put the food inside.  _ Wow, this is great -- this can last for a few days, I just hope that Joel finds something too, so we can get out of here,  _ she says to herself while she continues. 

As soon as she finishes packing the food, she closes her backpack and walks out of the bathroom.  Before she goes out, Ellie does another quick look around the room; not seeing anything more, she moves out of the room.  “Hey, Joel, I think we got lucky this time -- I found some food that--” Ellie stops as soon as she hears some footsteps coming from the stairs, close to her.  She turns to look and sees two men moving toward her. 

“Hey!... that’s the girl!” says the boy, pointing at her.  

“Fuck!”  Ellie is moving back into the the room, but before she gets inside, she takes out her gun and takes a few shots at the men.

The man starts to shoot back at her, but the boy gets hit in one of his legs.  He starts to scream in pain while he grabs his leg and tries to stop the bleeding.  Thomas grabs him by the arm, kicks a door close to them, and pushes the boy inside. The boy falls to the floor as soon as Thomas lets go of him.  He grabs some cloth that he found inside the room and wraps the wound with it. After that, Thomas moves to the room’s entrance and takes a few more shots at Ellie. 

He turns his head and looks at the boy.  “Call Matt… and tell him that we found the girl on the third floor.”

“Fuck… this hurts… I don't think I can walk much like this… shit!” says the boy, holding his leg with both hands, but the bleeding stops.

“Stop whining, boy, and make the call.  If the girl is here, Hunter has to be here too, or close,” says Thomas while he takes some cover after he dodges a few shots from Ellie.  As the shooting stops, he looks at the boy. “I think she’s out of bullets -- just call Matt while I handle the girl.” 

The boy continues crying out in pain, but manages to take the radio out and start to call Matt. Thomas moves out of the room and starts walking slowly with his gun pointing in Ellie’s direction, just waiting for her to show herself so he can get a clear shot.  He continues walking, and when he is close to the room, he hears the door next to him open violently. When he turns to shoot at the person coming out, he gets tackled into the wall next to him. Joel grabs his hand that holds the gun. They start to fight. Joel punches him in the face, but Thomas is able to punch him in the stomach, making Joel move away from him.

As soon as Joel is away from him, Thomas moves his gun up to try to shoot at Joel, but it’s too late.  Joel already has his gun pointing at him, and shoots him several times in his chest. But as Thomas is wearing a bulletproof vest, Joel wants to make sure he’s not going to try anything, and shoots him in the leg and arm, too.  Thomas screams in pain and drops down to the floor, and soon his back is reclined against the wall. He starts to cough some blood out of his mouth. He moves his head up slowly and sees Joel kneeling in front of him, looking at his face. 

Joel moves close to his face and looks at him furiously.  “Hello, Thomas!... still working for that asshole?... too bad, because now you’re going to tell me how many men you brought here and where is your boss?” 

“Hunter!... you’re wasting your time… you were lucky… with me… but he is going to kill you… but not ‘til after… he and the others… have a little… fun with… your girl… Arrrggg. Ha, ha, ha.”

“Laugh all you can, asshole, but your boss is going to be joining you soon.”

“We’ll see… who… I see first in hell…” the man looks at Joel and smiles, so Joel puts his gun to his head and shoots him.

At the moment that Ellie hears the shot, she walks out of the room and sees Joel with the man who was shooting at her.  “Did you kill him?... who are they?” Ellie starts asking when she gets close to Joel. 

“He was one of Matt’s men.  I think we’d better get out of here... I don't know how many there are.”

“Matt?... the man from the cabin… they survived?”

“Apparently!... I guess some of them got lucky.  How many bullets you have?” Joel asks as soon as he stands up.

“I’m empty -- I shot everything I had at this asshole.  Hey, wait a minute -- where is the other one, it was two of them when I started shooting... did you kill him, too?”  

“Another one?... C’mon, we need to get out of here.  I’m almost empty, too.” Joel grabs Ellie by her arn and starts to run toward the stairs, but as soon as he gets close, he sees two men moving out of the stairwell and into the corridor.  “Fuck!... get in here quick.” Joel kicks the door of another room, pushes Ellie inside, and starts to shoot at the two men coming toward them. They move quickly to take cover in another of the rooms, and start shooting back.

“Hey… Hunter!... there's no escape this time for you.  But I will make sure that you live long enough to see how we have some fun with your little girl,” says Matt while he takes a few more shots. 

“Shit!... I was hoping that that asshole died in the cabin… but I think that I have to do that myself this time.” He shoots back, then looks at Ellie.  “Fuck, I’m almost out of bullets -- do you still have the Molotov we brought with us?”

“Yeah, I think that we still have two.” Ellie takes her backpack out and starts to search for the bottles.  “Joel, what are we going to do?... if there are too many, we aren’t going to be able to fight all of them.” 

“Don't worry, I’ll find a way out, we just need a little distraction.  Pass me the bottles, quick!”

“Found them!” Ellie moves close to give them to him.

“C’mon, Hunter… make this easy… and maybe we’ll give you a mercy death-- shit!”  He gets back inside when Joel shoots at him again. 

As soon as Ellie gives Joel the bottle, he ignites the cloth on the top and looks at her. “Okay, kiddo, there’s another staircase at the end of the corridor.  I’m going to throw this and block their path. As soon as I do that, I want you to run there, and get down to the second floor. There’s an emergency staircase there that we can use to get out of the building.”

Ellie looks at him, knowing what he’s going to try to do.  “I’m not going anywhere without you.”

“I’ll be behind you, don’t worry... I promised that I was never going to leave you again, and that’s a promise I’m going to keep this time.”  

Ellie looks in his eyes, trying to see if he is lying, but he’s not this time. “Okay!”

Joel gets close to the door and waits for them to stop shooting, and as soon as they do, Joel throws the molotov in the direction of Matt’s position.  As soon as the bottle hits the floor and explodes, that part of the corridor goes up in flame, blocking the way. Matt starts cursing as he sees the flames; he takes a few shots, but he can’t see to the other side. 

Joel indicates for Ellie to run as he takes a few shots in Matt’s direction, and starts to run after Ellie.  “Joel, I think we have a problem here,” Ellie says as soon as she gets to the end of the corridor and sees the stairs.

Joel stops behind her and sees what she means:  the part of the stairs that go down is broken, and there’s no way they can go that way.  “Okay, new plan, c’mon--” he grabs Ellie’s arm and goes up the the stairs toward the fourth floor.   

The fire starts to spread, but before the corridor gets completely engulfed in flames, Matt knows that the only way Joel is going to escape is by moving up to the next floor.  He takes his radio and calls Rudy, who is in the back of the building. “Hey, Rudy are you still in the back of the building?” 

_ Grrrhhh… “yes, boss, I'm in the back like you ordered… What happened up there?... I can see smoke coming out from a few windows?”   _

“Hunter tried to burn the place up so he can escape.  So be careful -- they moved up to the fourth floor. I think that they’re going to try to get out from there.  So make sure to keep them in this building. Jeff and I are going to find another way up.” 

_ Grrrhhh… “Sure, boss, don't worry, I will keep them busy, but I’m going to need a little help here, so it’s better if you send someone out here, too.”  _

“Okay, I will send you someone.  Just don't let them escape.” With that, he turns off the radio.  “C'mon, we need to get up there,” he says, moving out of the room he’s in with Jeff following him.

As soon as the boy sees Matt passing in front of the room, he starts to get up.  “Hey, what about me?” 

Matt turns his head as soon as he hears him and moves to the entrance.  “What the hell happened to you two?... and where is Thomas?” 

“I think he killed him.  The girl shot me in the leg, and he went after them.  But he never came back.” 

“Well, I hope you can walk with that wound, because this place is starting to burn up.  Jeff and I are going after them, so I suggest you move down and go help Rudy at the back of the building.”

“But I can barely walk, how--”

“Well, if you want to live, boy, I suggest you do what I tell you.  Or you can stay here and burn,” he says to the boy, then looks at Jeff.  “C’mon, we still have a bastard to kill.” With that, they walk away from the room.  

 

(On the fourth floor) 

Ellie and Joel make it up the stairs and start moving down the corridor try to find a way out.  “Joel, how are we going to get out of here? The building is starting to get on fire,” she says as soon as she sees some smoke coming up from the stairs.

“Don't worry, there is a fire ladder on the side of the building that we can use to get out of here… there it is!”  He points to the window at the end of the corridor. But when they get there, he sees that the ladder is broken too, so they can’t go down that way. 

“Now what?” says Ellie, looking at him a little nervously.

“Shit!... it has to be-- wait, I think I saw another building behind this one -- c’mon.”  He moves into one of the rooms. He walks toward the window and sees the other building in the back.  It is close enough that they can jump through the broken window into one of the other ones. 

After he examines the alternative, he looks at Ellie.  “Okay, we have to jump to the other building. The fire is not going to keep them busy for long.  And we have a better chance to escape if we get away from this one.” 

“Okay!...” says Ellie, looking at the other side.  Joel moves close to her and starts to help her up, until she is on the frame of the broken window.  Ellie tries not to look down too much, even though the building isn’t too far; if she doesn't do it right, the fall is lethal. 

“Okay, kiddo, I’ll help you with the jump -- it’s not far, so I don't think you’re going to have any problem.  Just do what I tell you. As soon as you land, roll over, so that way, when you hit the floor, it ain’t going to hurt much.” Ellie looks at him with a serious expression, but when she is ready, Joel pushes her through the window and into the one on the other side.

She lands in a room there and does what Joel told her.  She stands up and moves to the window to let Joel know that she is okay.  But when she does that, someone starts to shoot at her from below in the building.  Ellie moves inside quickly to get some cover.

“There!... they are trying to escape through the other building...” says the boy as soon as he gets there and sees Ellie jumping from one building to the other.  The other man looks at the boy with a  _ “duh” _ expression, and starts to shoot again.

Joel hears them, so he grabs the last Molotov and drops it down in the direction of the men that are shooting at Ellie. “Take that, you motherfuckers!” says Joel after he drops the bottle.

The two men see the bottle falling, so they move quickly to the side, before the bottle hits the ground and explodes.  Joel takes advantage of the distraction to make his move; he gets up on the windowsill and jumps to the other side. As soon as he lands in the room, he sees Ellie standing a few feet away.  She seems to be looking at something on the floor, so he gets up and walks toward her. 

“I think we have another problem!” Ellie says once Joel is beside her, pointing at the big hole in the floor.  Part of the room’s floor is collapsed; the hole covers part of the floor and it’s too long to jump it, so that makes it hard to cross to the other side.  Going out through the window is out of the question. Not only because they are on the fourth floor, but they don't know how many men might be down there waiting for them.  “So what are we going to do now?... Those men could be here soon and we’re out of bullets.” 

“I know, kiddo, let me think for a moment.” Joel starts to look around the room, trying to find something they can use to cross the hole.  After a moment, he sees a piece of wood behind a broken desk, so he goes there to check it out. “Here!... help me with this.” 

Ellie moves close to him and starts to help him move a few things.  When they finish, Joel picks up the piece of wood that looks like part of a wooden wall.  “Do you think this is going to hold?... doesn't look very solid,” says Ellie while she helps Joel pick it up.

“Well, it looks solid enough to me, and it’s long, too, so let’s use it to cross the hole.”  With Ellie’s help, Joel lays the plank over the hole; it reaches the other side. After that, he puts his foot on it, to test it.  “Okay, kiddo, I think it can hold us, so get on and start to cross to the other side.” Ellie looks at him while she puts a foot on the plank.  “It’s okay, baby, you can do it, just be careful and try not to look down.” 

Ellie puts another foot on the plank, trying to test it, then she looks back at Joel. “What about you?”

“It’s okay, kiddo, I’ll cross as soon as you get to the other side.  Just hurry up a little, but be careful, okay?” Joel says, moving close to the edge of the hole.

“Okay!” Ellie turns back and continues walking slowly on the plank.  When she is in the middle of the thing, it starts to make some cracking sounds.  Ellie stops and turns her head to look at Joel. Joel indicates with his hand for her to move on, and hurry up, so she turns and starts walking faster.  A few moments later, she arrives at the other side, making a gesture of relief. “Joel, that thing is starting to crack -- it’s not going to hold your weight.”

“Don't worry, I’m going to do it as fast as I can.”  When Joel puts his first foot on the plank, he hears a sound coming from behind him.  He turns around to see what it is and sees one of Matt’s men standing up after jumping from the other building.  Joel moves away from the hole and starts to raise his gun, but the other man already has his gun pointing at him.  

“It’s over, Hunter!... so drop your gun before I kill you… there’s no escape this time for you.”

Joel is holding the gun firmly, trying to make it look like he still has bullets in his gun.  Now the only thing he needs is a distraction, but he doesn't know if he’s going to be fast enough to take the man out before he shoots at him.  Before he has the time to do anything, he hears some shooting coming from behind him.

Joel sees the man take a few hits on himself and start to fall down, without shooting back.  Joel turns his head and looks at Ellie. “I thought you were out of bullets?” he says, surprised.  

“I found another magazine for my gun in my backpack,” she says with a grin on her face.  Joel smiles a little too, then turns and walks in the direction of the dead man’s body. Before he gets close to him, another man enters through the window and lands behind the body.  Joel pulls his gun up again to try to fool Matt, but he is quicker, and starts to shoot at Joel first. He hits Joel in the arm where he holds the gun. The pain makes him drop it while he grabs his arm.  It’s only a flesh wound, but painful all the same. Joel sees that Matt is going to shoot at him again, and before he can move, Elle starts to shoot at the man. Matt dodges the bullets and runs for cover.  Joel does the same and moves behind a broken desk. 

“ELLIE, TAKE COVER!” Joel yells at her when he sees that Matt is going to shoot at her.  Ellie shoots at the man again and runs for cover, too. She finds a couch close by and gets behind it. Joel starts to check his hand and sees that the wound is not bad, so he tears off part of the sleeve of his shirt to cover the wound and stop the small amount of bleeding.    

_ Shit... _ Ellie checks her gun again and sees that she is out of bullets… again.  So she takes out her backpack to check if she can find more bullets. 

Matt turns and shoots in Joel’s direction, but after a few shots, he stops.  Joel notices that he must be out, too. Before he reloads his gun, Joel takes out his knife, moves out from behind the desk, and runs toward him.  Before he gets close to him, he grabs a brick from the floor. After he reloads his gun, Matt stands up from the place he was hiding to shoot at Joel again, but Joel throws the brick at him and hits him in the head.  As he gets distracted for a moment, Joel jumps at him, but he recovers in time and grabs Joel’s hand before Joel can stab him with his knife. They start to fight. “You’re a lucky bastard, Hunter, I’ll give you that.  I don’t know how you managed to kill Amber and all our men. But that luck is running out, and I’m going to be the one to end it today.” 

Joel moves quickly and kicks him in the gut, then pushes him away from him.  Matt loses his gun, but recovers quickly. He takes his knife out and looks at Joel like a mad man.  “Yeah, luck will run out sometime, but if you manage to kill me, I will make sure that you won’t enjoy that,”  says Joel, holding his knife in a tight grip. Both men start to fight, and dodge each others’ knives. 

“That’s fine by me, I will die happy knowing that I was the one that sent you to hell.”  He moves close to Joel, and they start to fight again. “I’m not only going to have the pleasure of killing you -- I’m going to make sure that that little bitch with you has a painful death, too.”

As soon as Joel hears that, he jumps at him and tries to cut him with the knife, but Matt dodges it in time, and as Joel passes to his side, Matt cuts him a little on his back.  Joel makes a little cry from the pain, but turns around quickly to face Matt again. 

“What’s the matter... Hunter!... getting too old?... Well, let me be the one to put you out of your misery.”  Matt moves toward him again and tries to stab Joel in his side, but Joel moves quickly and grabs his arm before he does, then moves to the side and cuts him on his other arm.  Matt pushes away and stands in front of Joel, checking the cut. “Not bad, old man, but that’s not going to save you!”

Joel starts to circle him like a predator stalking its prey.  “Yeah, I may be old. But I can still kill you, asshole.” After a few moments, they jump at each other again.

Ellie is still looking in her backpack until she finds 2 loose bullets in there.  “Bingo!” Ellie takes the bullets out, takes out the magazine, and starts to put the bullets in.  As soon as she finishes, Ellie moves away from the couch and moves close to the edge of the hole.  She sees Joel and the crazy man fighting; she points her gun at them, trying to shoot the man, but they are too close. 

The two men fall to the floor as they continue punching each other and trying to cut one another.  “You’re never going to hurt her, you bastard. I’m going to kill you like I killed all your fucking men,” says Joel after punching him again.   _ That’s it, Joel, kick his ass!  _ He can hear Ellie yelling on the other side.

“Oh... you think that you killed all of them?... I still have more men outside, and as soon as they get here, they’re going to take that little cunt of yours and have some fun with her.”  Joel gets more furious and moves his hand to stab the man in the chest, but Matt moves his foot quickly and kicks him away from him. Both men stand up and stay still for a moment, taking in some air.  Then Matt sees his gun nearby on the floor, and tries to grab it. Joel moves quickly and launches himself at Matt, tackling him. But Joel doesn't notice that they are too close to the border of the hole, and they land on the plank that Ellie used to cross earlier.  The plank starts to crack under the weight of both men, until it breaks. Joel and Matt start to fall into the hole.

“Noooooo!!!” Ellie screams as she sees Joel disappear into the hole.  Ellie moves quickly and kneels at the edge of the hole, leaning over to see inside.  As soon as she does, she sees Joel hanging from a cable. “Joel!... Thank god… just hang on, I’ll try to find something to help you up--” but before she gets up, she sees that Matt is hanging from Joel’s legs, too.  Ellie knows that she doesn’t have time to waste, so she lays down and moves closer to the hole. She extends her hand and tries to reach Joel. 

Joel sees Ellie at the edge of the hole, trying to get to him, but Matt continues to pull him down.  He tries to move up, but the weight of Matt is too much, and the wound on his arm not isn’t helping, either.  Joel looks at Ellie sadly; he knows that there’s not much she can do. “Kiddo!... you need to go -- there’s at least two more men coming up here soon... you need to get out of here.”  

“I’m not going anywhere without you... okay!... so give me your hand and I will help you up.”  Ellie tries to lower herself a little more, but Joel is still out of her reach.

Joel knows that even if Ellie manages to get to him, his weight is going to pull her down with him.  He looks down and tries to kick off Matt, but he doesn’t come loose, and his arms are starting to get weak.  He knows that he needs to do something for Ellie… he is not going to make it, but she still can. They are on the fourth floor, and he can see that the floor hole is all the way down to the basement.  He knows that if he falls, he is going to die, and he is not going to take Ellie down with him. So the only way to save her is to make her leave, even if that means breaking his promise again. Joel starts to look at her; this is not the way he wanted to see her for the last time.  But he needs to convince her to get out and leave him. 

Some tears start to fall from Ellie’s eyes as she sees that he is starting to slide off   “Joel!... please… just move up a little and grab my hand… please!” Ellie sees Joel trying to shake off Matt again, but he can’t.  She looks at him and sees a sad expression on his face.

“Ellie, listen to me… you need to go, okay… those men are coming for you… just go -- there’s nothing more you can do.”  Joel is losing his grip on the cable. He knows that he’s not going to resist for much longer, so he needs to make Ellie listen to him.

“NO!... I’m not going to leave you here… maybe... I can find something to pull you up… okay!”  

“Ha,… this is better than I thought... She’s going to see you die… and after that, my men are going to take care of her… All this was for nothing… you can't save her... Hunteeeeer.”  Matt is starting to lose his grip on Joel’s legs, but he continues pulling Joel down.

Joel looks at him furiously and kicks him in the face, but Matt doesn’t let go of his legs.  So he looks back at Ellie. “No, kiddo, you don’t have time for that… just go… you need to save yourself… Now leave me!... do it for me...” Joel sees Ellie’s face just full of fear, tears starting to fall out of her eyes.

“No...no, no, no… Don't say that… you’re coming with me… I’m not going to leave you here... I’m going to save you…” Ellie says, knowing that her heart is going to be broken into millions of pieces if she loses Joel again. 

“You already saved me… you were right about me... Thank you for giving me the chance to love again.  This is where the road took us, but it don't need to end here for you. You still have people that love you, too, just go back home.”  Joel looks at her sadly, wishing that he had a better option, but he doesn't. “I love you, kiddo... always remember that…” After his last words, his hand slides off the cable, and he starts falling into the abyss, taking Matt with him.

“NOOOOOOO!!!!” Ellie screams out, still trying to lower her hand to get him.  But she just watches in horror how Joel falls down into the hole. “No, no, no… this can’t be… this isn’t happening... JOEL!!!”  She continues looking at the hole, but it is all black; then she hears a splash. Her expression changes at the possibility that Joel could still be alive, if the basement is full of water.   _ I know you are alive down there Joel, so just hang on, and I will go down there to get you out… and after that, we can go home together,  _ Ellie says to herself.  Then she starts to get up from the edge of the hole, but as soon as she gets to her knees, Ellie hears something. Before she has the chance to turn around, something hits her hard on the head.  After that, all she sees is the blackness covering her mind before falling to the floor.  __

“Shit, man!... I think you hit her too hard,” says the boy while he moves close to Ellie.

“Yeah, yeah… don't worry, she’s going to be fine.  Now where is the boss and that fucking Hunter?” says Rudy, looking all over the place. 

The boy kneels beside Ellie with some pain starting again in his leg; he tries to hold it back.  He checks Ellie’s pulse and confirms that she is still alive. Then he looks at the hole in the floor in front of them.  “Do you think they fell in there?” 

Rudy gets close to the edge and looks down.  “If they did, I don't think that they’re still alive -- it’s four floors down.” 

The boy stands up again and looks at him.  “We need to get down there and check anyway.” 

“Are you crazy!... No one can survive that,” says Rudy, pointing at the hole.  

“We need to be sure.  If he’s alive, we can’t leave him there.”

“Look!... fuck Matt and Hunter.  We have the girl -- let’s take her to the Fireflies and get the reward they promised Amber.  After that, we can disappear and start over.” 

“I don't think that’s a good idea.  If Matt is still alive down there and finds out that we--” he stops when he hears the scream of infected people coming from down the hole. 

Rudy looks at him.  “We need to get out of here… let's grab the girl and go.”


	37. Out of the pan, into the fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the last chapter Ellie and Joel try to escape the men that attack them on the cabin. But as you saw Joel fall into a hole and Ellie was capture. So now destiny separate them again, so read and found out what is going to happen next. :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.
> 
> A/N: Hi hope you still liking this story as it getting more close to the end. Yeah still have a lot of chapter before that happen so I hope that you continue reading it. as I have some chapter ready now I will start to continue posting this story weekly, for as much I have the chapter ready to go. So for now I will post one a week, so I hope that you like the story so far and don't forget to put a comment or review if you do or not. we writers like to here from the people that read our story, that is what keep us going. Thanks for be part of this, so see you next week.

**Chapter 36 : Out of the pan, into the fire**

  


***Two weeks later***

  
  


(Ellie)

Ellie is walking down a corridor.  It’s dark, and the only thing she can see is the little light at the end of the corridor.  Ellie barely sees the floor or the walls... it just looks like she is floating, just guiding her toward the light.  It seems like a dream she’s had before, but this time, it looks more real. So she starts to ask herself if all this is just another dream, or if she is dead.   _What is this place?... why am I here?...the last thing I remember is… is!._ .. Ellie tries to remember, but can't. She continues walking while her mind is getting lost in this place.  After a few moments, she sees a shadow in the light. She doesn't know what it is, but it looks like a man, standing there. _Joel!... is that you?... Joel!..._  Ellie starts to call him.  But the shadow there... just stays there.  Ellie starts to walk faster to get to him, but the more she runs, the more distant the shadow seems to be.     

Ellie stops as soon as she is out of air.  It’s like she’s been running forever. And any time she thinks that she’s getting close, the shadow still looks so far away.  After she recovers, the shadow starts to move away. And when Ellie takes a good look, it looks more like a person now. As Ellie gets close, the shadow moves his hand, trying to indicate for her to come closer. _Joel!... is that you?... this isn’t funny… I don't know what this is, but we need to go._ Ellie starts to talk to the shadow, but it starts to move away from what looks like a door frame.  The shadow disappears inside what looks like a room. Ellie starts to run again, but this time the door frame is getting closer.  Ellie continues running until she arrives at the entrance. As soon as she gets to the entrance, the shadow figure isn’t there, and the light becomes less intense, until she can see inside the room.  The room is a big room, and looks familiar, but there’s no one in there. _Joel!... are you in here?... c`mon, just get out… I don't like this place,_ Ellie starts to say, trying to see if Joel is inside the room.  Ellie starts to walk into the room… the more she moves inside the room, the more she starts to remember. _Wait… I remember this place… we were here before._    

Ellie starts to look around while walking inside the room, and starts to remember more.   _Joel!... where are you?... I know you’re in here… I remember that we both were here before._ Ellie continues walking in the room, looking for Joel, until she sees the hole in the middle.   _No!.. no, no… I remember that.  Joel was fighting that mad man there, the one that was chasing us.  But they landed on a plank that we put there, and then... it broke._ Ellie moves closer to the hole and kneels in front of it.   _No, this can't be… Joel!... you can't be dead... I heard a splash when you fell down in there... So you could still alive, I know he is... Joeeel!.. Just hang in there, I'm coming for you._ Ellie looks around and tries to see if there is another way to go down, because jumping is going to be hard.  Joel might have landed in water, but she doesn't know if she will be that lucky. But she doesn’t see any… even the door where she came in isn’t there anymore.   _What the hell is this?_

_I need to get to him,_ _maybe he got hurt from the fall, and… what was that_ \-- she is interrupted by a loud scream coming from the hole.   _No, no, I know that scream... there are clickers down there.  Shit, there’s no other way down, but I need to get to Joel before those things get to him. Hang on, Joel I’m coming to help you._ Ellie stands up when she hears another scream.  It seems like there’s more than one clicker down there.   _Okay, Ellie, there’s no other way down, so if you want to save Joel, you need to jump.  This is going to hurt, but I need to get to Joel fast… I`m coming, Joel!_  And as soon as she is about to jump down, the hole disappears.   _WHAT!... no, no, no… Nooooooo!!! … Joeeel!_ She kneels down and starts to hit the floor with her hands. Tears start falling from Ellie’s eyes as she continues hitting the floor and calling Joel’s name.  Then she starts to hear something inside her head. (I love you, kiddo… Always remember that.) She remembers those words... Joel told her that before he fell. _I’m going to save you, Joel… I promise… so please don't leave me… I can't do this again… I can't live without you._ Then she hears someone screaming, and this time it’s a human voice… Joel’s voice.  After that, everything goes silent. _Joel!... no, no, no… JOELLLL!_

Ellie opens her eyes violently, gasping for air, and her heart is beating faster.  She tries to erase the images that pop into her head. She can see and hear the sound of the clickers tearing up the flesh of human beings.   _No,no,no... That was just a bad dream… that is not what happened to Joel … he’s still alive, I know he is._ She says to herself to calm down.  After that, she starts to breathe slower, but even with that, she’s still feeling bad.  After a few minutes, she realizes that she is laying in a bed, and not in that horrible place.  But where is she? She starts to look around, trying to see where she is. Ellie doesn’t recognize the room, and it’s too clean to be an abandoned building.  Her body still hurts in some places, but mostly the pain is in her head. 

The room is almost dark, except for a little light that illuminates the room.  Ellie can see a door, but not any windows. She sees that the illumination there comes from a small light bulb on the wall close to the door.  Some others come from some electronic instruments that are close to the bed. Ellie starts to look at them, but doesn't know what they are. After a moment, she notices that one of her arms is connected to one of those machines.   _What the hell is this place… some kind of hospital?... wait, it looks like one of the rooms in the clinic at Jackson.  So this could be a hospital or something like that… but where?... and how did I get here?_ Ellie tries to remember, but the more she tries, the more her head hurts.   _I don't remember getting here by myself... so that means Joel must be the one that brought me here._ Ellie tries to see any sign of Joel in there, because if Joel brought her here, that means that he’s still alive.  A little smile forms on her face, because all that she was remembering could be just from a bad dream. But after she looks around, not seeing anything in there that indicates that Joel was there, she tries to see if their backpacks are there, but she can't see any.

Ellie is going to call Joel’s name to see if he’s close, but stops.   _What if Joel didn't bring me here voluntarily?  What if someone captured us after the fight with those men? Are we safe in here?_ She starts to think of all the possibilities, but the most important one is to know where Joel is. _If he is here, I’m going to find him_ , she tells herself as she starts to sit up in bed.  After Ellie sits on the bed with her legs hanging on the side, her head starts to hurt again, but it’s more tolerable this time.

Ellie tries to move out of the bed, but the thing that connects her arm to the machine doesn't let her.  She looks at her arm and sees that the bandage that covered the bite is gone, and the new scar on her arm is visible now.   _What the fuck?... whoever is doing this must know by now that I’m infected.  I don't know if these people are friendly or not, but it’s better if I don't stay here to find out._  So, she needs to find Joel, and get out of there.  As soon as she sits on the bed, she grabs the tube and takes it out of her arm.  As soon as she feels the pain, she holds in the scream, as that hurts like shit. After that, the machine starts to make some sound.    

“Shit… that can't be good,” Ellie says with a lower voice.

“Okay, I need to get out before someone comes.”  Ellie starts to walk toward the door slowly, but as soon as she looks at herself, she sees that she’s in some kind of hospital robe.  Just like the one she was wearing in the car, after waking up from Salt Lake City. As Ellie starts to walk again, she feels a little dizziness, but she is not going to let that stop her.  The only thing in her mind is finding Joel and getting out. When she gets close to the door, she hears some voices coming from outside. She knows that someone is coming to the room, but before she can do anything, the door opens.  Two people are standing in the door frame: a middle-aged woman and a young man. Ellie just stays there, frozen, looking at them and not knowing what to do.

“Oh... my god!... how… you’re awake!” the woman starts to say as soon as she sees Ellie out of the bed and in the middle of the room.  Ellie was going to say something, but her head starts to hurt again, and she starts to lose her balance. The woman moves quickly and grabs her before Ellie falls to the floor.  “What are you doing out of bed? You’re not well. C'mon, I will take you back,” the woman says with some concern. Then she starts to help Ellie back to the bed.

“I don't know who you are, or where this place is, but I need to find someone,” says Ellie with a weak voice.

The woman turns her head and looks at the young man standing at the door.  “Mark!... Go to the laboratory and find Owen. Tell him that the girl is awake, okay?”  The young man nods at her and runs away. The woman turns and looks at Ellie, still holding her.  “And you!... you need to go back to bed. You’re still weak, so you can't be walking in the room, or taking the serum off -- that was dangerous,” says the woman.

“I’m fine, really,” says Ellie in a lower voice.  “I just need to know where I am and if Jo--” Ellie stops as soon as she realizes that maybe it’s not a good idea to say their real names.  It’s better to play innocent for now, until she can find out if these people are trustworthy. “I need to know if my friend is here, too?”

The woman continues guiding Ellie back to the bed, but Ellie tries to move away from her to get out of the room.  “Please!... You need to get back to the bed -- you have a concussion, so I need to check you.” The woman tries harder to sit Ellie down on the bed.

“You don't understand… there was another person with me.  And I need to know, where is he?”

“I don't know who you’re referring to, unless it’s one of the two people that brought you here,” the woman says, trying to be casual.

“Two?... I wasn’t with two people!  The man I was with is old--” Ellie stops again; she’s not supposed to give any information about them to these people until she knows if they have good intentions, and right now, this woman hasn't shown any.  “He is tall, has a bear--”

“I’m sorry, I don't know if I can help you with that.  But the two men that brought you here don’t match that description,” says the woman, walking away from Ellie to get some instruments from a table.

“I already told you that I wasn’t with two men, it was only--” Ellie stops as she starts to remember hearing voices before she got hit in the head.  She doesn't know exactly what happened, but if the two men that hit her brought her here, that is not going to end well for her. But before she’s going to try to escape, she needs to know if the two men brought Joel here, too. “Okay, maybe the two people brought him here, too… can you at least tell me if they did?” asks Ellie, trying not to sound suspicious.   

“I don’t have that information, I’m only here to check on you and make sure that you’re fine,” the woman says with a cold tone.

“But you can check… right?... I mean, go and ask your boss or something… maybe you can ask the two men... where am I, anyway?... what is this place and why are you trying to help me?” Ellie starts to ask, trying to get any information out of the woman.   

“Sorry, but I can’t ask them.  I haven't seen them since they brought you here two weeks ago.  But I’m sure that they only brought you, here. And about where you are, don't worry, you’re safe in here and--”   

“Two weeks!... no, no, no… that can’t be… what the hell happened… and if the person that was with me isn’t here, I need to go out and find him.  He might be hurt… or...” Ellie starts to move out of the bed again, but the woman puts a hand on her shoulder and pushes her down, although she tries to be gentle.

“Sorry, young lady, but you’re not going anywhere.  You had a concussion when they brought you here. And that’s something you can’t take lightly.  So now that you’re awake, I need to check on you and see if everything is fine.” The woman takes out something that looks like a pen, then flashes Ellie in her eyes with a light.  “Now tell me, where does it hurt?” the woman asks while she continues checking on Ellie.

Ellie pushes the woman’s hand away from her.  She doesn't want to be so rude, but this woman is avoiding her question, and it seems that they don’t have any intention of letting her go, so she needs to get out before she calls someone else.  “I’m fine… so thank you for you all of your help, but I need to go,” says Ellie, standing up and moving away from the woman.

Ellie starts to walk toward the door when the woman grabs her by the arm and stops her.  “You can’t go… you… you're not well, and I’m pretty sure that your friend is fine, Ellie--”  the woman stops as soon as she realizes what she just said.

Ellie turns around and looks at the woman with a surprised expression.  “What did you say!?” Ellie asks quickly.

_“Oh… shit!”_ the woman says in a lower voice.  Owen gave her a specific instruction to not talk to the girl if she woke up.  Just call him if she does, and only check her and be sure that nothing bad happened to her.  Now she doesn’t know what to do; she only hopes that Owen shows up soon, before the girl starts to ask more questions.  “Sorry, but that is your name… right?”

Ellie looks at her more curiously now.  “I don't remember telling you my name. So how do you know that?”

“I… I… I think you said that name when you were unconscious.  I’ve been taking care of you since--” she stops when Ellie shakes her arm away from her grip and looks at her.  The woman knows that Ellie is not going to believe her, but she needs to buy more time.

Ellie moves close to the woman.  “I want to know what is going on here?... and what you did with my friend?”  Ellie knows now that if this woman knows her name -- and they know she is infected! -- these people have to be working with the men that attacked Joel and her.  And if those men brought her here, it’s probable that they did something to Joel.

“I’m sorry!... I don’t know... what you’re talking... I mean--” the woman starts talking, but Ellie pushes her until she hits the bed with her back.  The woman is now more scared; even though she is in her forties and taller than Ellie, she’s no match for Ellie. She is a doctor, not a fighter, so Ellie’s not going to have any problem taking her down if necessary.  “Girl, listen to me, you need to calm down. They hit you in the head… it’s making you see things… I mean, we just want to help you, and no one is going to hurt you here--”

“I don't care what you want, and that hit on my head is probably the handiwork of those two assholes that tried to kill us… So now you’re going to tell me where he is!”  Ellie looks around and sees a pair of scissors on the table close to the bed -- the same ones that the doctor left when she was checking on her. She moves away from the woman, goes to the table, and takes them.  She turns to look at the woman, who now has a scared expression on her face.

“Look, can we talk about this… a little?... I really don't know anything about your friend… they only brought _you_ here… I swear!” the woman says as soon as she sees Ellie moving close to her with the scissors in her hand.

“LIES!... I know you do. You are working with them, and you’re going to tell me--” Ellie stops when another wave of pain hits her head, and she starts to feel dizzy again.  

“See!... you’re not well… just let me help you.  If you’d only let--”

Ellie recovers and looks at the woman again.  “The only help I need from you is telling me where you have my friend.  So start talking, because if you think for a second that I’m not going to hurt you … you’re wrong,” says Ellie, now closer to her.  

“I already told you I don't know wha--”  Ellie grabs her by her front tunic and puts the scissors close to her face.

“This is your last chance… I don’t want to hurt you… so it’s better for you to start telling me the truth!... or I can find someone else to do it,” Ellie says with a threatening voice.

“Please don't do this!... we only want your help… and your gift can help us save humanity… we can work together and finally find a cure,” the woman starts talking in a panicked voice.  She can’t believe that this young girl is capable of hurting her… but right now, the only thing she sees in Ellie’s eyes is anger.

Ellie looks at her with a surprised expression.  “What!... for someone that doesn't know anything… you seem to know a lot?... so how do you know about that?” Ellie starts to get confused about how this woman knows so much about her.

“Look, I know that you want some answers, but if you just let me explain everything.  Maybe we--”

“Look, I don't know what you think you know, but if you don't tell me right--” Ellie stops when she hears someone talking on the other side of the door.  She moves quickly and pulls the woman in front of her, the scissors on her neck. After that, the door opens.

Two men with guns and a man in a white robe enter the room.  “Don't move!” says one of the armed men, pointing his gun at Ellie.   

“Please... please... gentlemen.  There’s no need for this… I think we can resolve this in a peaceful way,” says the man in the medical robe to the guards that came with him.  Then he moves forward a little and looks at Ellie. “Oh, I can see that you feel better… young lady. I was a little afraid that those two morons did some permanent damage to you… so this is good news.”  

“Look, I don't care about you or your organization, or what you think you know about me.  I just want one thing from you... And you are going to tell me before this becomes a little messy,” says Ellie with a mean voice.

“Wow, wow… I wasn’t expecting so much violence from a young girl like you.  So why don’t you calm down, so we can resolve this in a better way,” says the man, moving a little more toward her with his hand in front of him in a gesture of surrender.

“I said, don't move!” Ellie says to the man as she presses the scissors more against the woman’s neck.  Of course, she is not going to kill someone in cold blood, but they need to believe that she will.

“It’s okay, Ellie… you don't want to hurt anybody, right?... I’m a doctor here, and we only want to help you... To help everybody,” says the man in a calm voice.

“Who the fuck are you, and how do you know my name?”

“We know a lot of things about you... and I know that you’re not a killer.”  Owen moves a little closer. “It’s okay, Martha, she’s not going to hurt you -- in fact, she is going to help us.”  He looks at the woman doctor now, trying to calm her down, too.

“You want to bet on that?... I already told you that I don't need your help.  The only thing I want from you is to know where my friend is,” Ellie asks with a desperate voice.

“Your friend?... you mean the old man that was with you?... the one that kidnapped you and killed all those men in Salt Lake City?...”  He looks at Ellie’s expression and smiles a little. “Oh, yes, we know who you are, Ellie. Marlene talked about you a lot.”

As Ellie hears all that, she realizes now who these people are.  They are not the people that were hunting Joel -- these people are Fireflies!... probably the same ones that Joel told her about.  The ones that were looking for her. “You’re wasting your time if you’re still looking for a cure. I can't help you with that.”

“I think that you can help us more than you think,” says Owen, looking her in the eye.

“I don't understand why you continue with this after 5 years.  A doctor checked me and said that my immunity is not going to work to make a cure.  I’m not the answer you’re looking for, so why don’t you let me be in peace? No matter what you do, you’re not going to change the world.”   

“Oh, yeah… that’s what that old killer has been telling you, ummm.  They don't know nothing -- we are so close now, and with you here, we can get the answer we’re looking for.  You can run forever, and you can't escape your destiny. Marlene knows that, even after that killer shot her in cold blood.”

“Shut up!... Joel is not a killer, not the way you think… he, he… saved me, because… he lov-- because he cares about me.  Marlene, and people like you, only care about one thing. Using people like us to experiment on them, like we’re nothing. Oh yeah, I know a few things about you, too.  And what you’ve all been doing with all the immune people you find. There’s no destiny here… or cure. So why don’t you just give up and let us live in peace!” Ellie yells the last part at him.  

The two guards see the opportunity when Ellie moves the scissors away a little and gets distracted. “Okay, enough of this -- we were sent here to get this contained immediately.” Then one of the guards takes aim and shoots at Ellie.

“Nooo!” Owen screams when he sees Ellie get hit on her shoulder and start to fall down.  He moves toward her and grabs the woman when she moves away from Ellie, as soon as Ellie drops the scissors and starts to fall down. “What the hell have you done?... I need her alive, you assholes!”

The two guards move close to Ellie and kneel beside her to check if she is alright.  “You don't need to worry about that... doc. We only used a tranquilizer. She is going to be fine, in a couple of hours.” Then one of the guards picks her up and puts her back on the bed.  

Owen moves close to Martha, who is scared as hell, and grabs her by the shoulder.  “Hey, hey… it’s okay, you need to calm down.”

“I can't believe that she was going to kill me,” says the doctor, trembling.

“She was never going to hurt you -- she was just bluffing, okay?... Now we need to check on her and make sure that everything is fine.  Because she’s the only one that can help us.”

“Yeah, sorry… I was just thinking that she was really going to kill me.”  

“It’s okay… c’mon, we have a lot to do now.  With her here, everything is going to change.  This is the opportunity we were waiting for.” They move close to the bed and Owen orders the two guards to leave, since he and Martha need to examine the girl and don’t need them anymore.

“Okay, Doc, but we have orders to keep an eye on her, so one of us is going to stay at the door.”

“Fine, but I don’t need a babysitter in here.  We can handle this now,” says Owen to the guard and moves to continue with his work.  The two guards go outside and close the door, but one of them stays beside the door, just in case.

 

(A few days later)  

The drugs they used on Ellie turned out to be stronger than they thought, and kept Ellie out for a few days.  Owen and Martha examine her, and make sure that she is fine. After that, they take more blood samples and start to work on them.  After she wakes up, Walter comes back from his patrol and tells Owen to move Ellie to a more secure building where no one can get to her.

Ellie starts opening her eyes again after she was knocked out.  She tries to stand up, but everything hurts on her body as she tries to remember what happened, until it hits her.  As she is looking around, she notices that she is not in the same room as before.

The place is a little dark... only a small window on one of the walls illuminates the place.  As she tries to see where she is, Ellie tries to move her hand to clear her eyes, but notices that her hands are tied up to the bed she was in.   _What the fuck… is this?_ Ellie says to herself, moving her hands and trying to get loose.  “Hey, is somebody here?... why am I tied up here… what the hell is going on… is anyone there that can hear me?”  Ellie starts to yell, and tries to see if someone out there can hear her. And after a few tries with no one responding, she starts to look at the place and try to figure a way out.  The room isn’t big; it looks more like some kind of prison cell that she’s seen in a few TV shows. Besides the bed where she is right now, the room has a sink and a toilet, also a small table attached to the wall at the end of the bed.

Ellie tries to break free again, but she can't get loose.  After a few minutes, she starts to remember what happened before.  She remembers a woman talking to her, then two armed men entering the room and shooting her.   _Oh yeah, I remember now, they said that they were looking for a cure. So this must be a Firefly base._ She starts to think, if they are Fireflies, she needs to find the way to get out of this place. _Joel already told me what these assholes have been doing with the immune people.  But before I find a way out of here, I need to know if they have Joel here, too. The woman said that they only brought me here, but they could be lying._ Ellie prefers thinking that to thinking that Joel is dead.   _On the other hand, if he’s still out there, trying to come to rescue me, that is a better option, I think.  I only need to stay alive, and wait for him to get here. But can that be true? I saw him fall in that hole, and it was four floors down. No, Ellie, don't think about that -- he survived.  I heard the water splash at the bottom, so I know he is alive... right?_

Ellie is taken out of her thoughts as she hears some voices coming from the other side of the door... _Shit!.. They are coming for me already… so I need to think of something… But what can I do… being tied up here is not going to help much.  Maybe I can pretend to be sick or something. I just hope that they don’t want to cut my head off too soon._ Ellie snaps out of it again as she sees the door open.  As the room is not very well-lit, Ellie can't see the face of the man that just entered the room and closed the door behind him.  Then the man turns on the room light and moves closer to her. Ellie closes her eyes a little, since the light hurts them, but just for a moment.  After that, she opens them again and looks at the man. He doesn't look like any of the ones she saw before, and he’s not wearing any white coat. So he is not a doctor... he seems more like the two guards that shot at her.  Ellie watches as he moves closer to the bed and looks at her with a curious face. That is starting to creep her out, but after a few moments, he finally speaks.

“Hello, Ellie!... I’ve been looking for you.  These last five years… have been too long. But now that you’re here, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” says the man with a little smile on his face.  

Ellie looks at him with some disgust, but what she sees in his eyes is starting to scare her.  “Who the fuck are you?... And what do you want from me?” asks Ellie, trying to break the straps that are keeping her tied to the bed.  

“Oh!... I’m sorry... where are my manners… yeah, it’s better if I introduce myself first… My name is Walter!... and I'm the leader of this group of ex-Fireflies.”  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	38. Awake and Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Ellie was taking to the fireflies, thing are start to get worse. But is something out there that is going to give some hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 37 : Awake and Alive**

  
  
  
  


(A week earlier with Joel)

Joel is in front of his house, with his key in one hand, not knowing how he got there.  But he has a bad feeling about this. Something seems wrong to him, but he can't figure out what.  He starts to hear a voice inside the house. A voice he knows well, so he puts the key in the lock and opens the door.

“Hey, Daddy, you're home early -- was everything okay at work?” asks a 12-year-old girl in front of him.

“Sarah?” asks Joel, surprised. 

“Yessss… who else do you think I am?” asks the girl, looking at him with some curiosity.  

“I… I… I ain’t sure, baby,” 

“Oh... Did you hit your head or something at work?  Do you want me to call 911?” asks Sarah, getting close to him.

“Work?” asks Joel, a little confused.

“Yeah, work… where you and Uncle Tommy went this morning, remember?” answers Sarah with a worried face.  “Okay, let me check your head.” Sarah grabs his hand and pulls him to the couch. “If I see any injuries to your head, I will call 911... okay?” Sarah tells him as she helps him sit there.  

“I don't feel any pain in my head, baby girl.  I just feel a little confused. But I really want to know why you’re here,” says Joel while Sarah checks his head.

“Well, it’s past 4:00 pm, Dad.  I get out of school at 3:00pm, remember?” says Sarah, smiling. “Okay, I don't see anything, but you’re sure that everything is fine?” Sarah asks him, a little worried.

“I feel fine, kiddo, don't worry a… about… me?”

“Kiddo!... I don't remember you calling me that before... Are you sure that you’re okay?” Sarah asks again. 

Joel starts to look at Sarah, trying to find out what is wrong with all this, and why he called her that.  He has this feeling inside that tells him that something is not right, but he can't see what it is. “Did you change your look or something?”

“What!... why did you say that?... do I look awful, or ugly?” she asks while looking at herself. 

“No!... no, you… you look beautiful, baby girl… ummm... Don't pay attention to what I’m saying, I think I’m just a little tired, okay?” he says, smiling a little at her. 

“Well... I'm glad that you’re home, Daddy.  You work too much for us, so maybe it’s time for you to have some rest,” says Sarah, getting up from the couch and kissing him on the cheek.

_ Joel!... I know you’re out there…  I need you, please! _

“What!” Joel hears a whispering voice, but doesn't know who it is or where it came from, so he starts to look around.  “Did you hear that?” he looks at Sarah and asks.

“Hear what?... are you sure you’re okay, Dad?  I can still call a doctor or something,” says the girl, standing in front of him.

“No, no… it’s okay, baby girl... Like I said before, maybe I need little rest.” 

“Well… why don’t you go up to your room and take a shower.  Maybe you’ll feel better after that. Dinner is going to be ready soon,” says Sarah, moving toward the kitchen.

“Did you really cook?... like for real?” asks Joel, following her to the kitchen.

“Yeah, I’ve been doing that since Uncle Tommy taught me how.  And you started to get home too late to cook.” 

Joel tries to figure out why this feels so wrong.  Sarah never cooked -- after she tried a few times and always burned the food.  But looking at his daughter in front of him… what could be wrong about that? Joel moves close to her and hugs her so tight that he almost suffocates her.  “I love you so much, baby girl... you know that, don’t you?”

“Yeahhhh… Dad, I know.  I love you, too,” she says, hugging him back.  “Dad, you’re acting weird.” 

“Sorry, baby girl.  I think that that shower sounds like a good idea,” says Joel as soon as he moves away from the hug.

“Yeah... just go, okay?  I’ll let you know when dinner is ready.”  Then Sarah turns and goes to check the food.

Joel keeps watching her, then he walks toward the stairs.  He is halfway to the second floor when he hears that voice again.   _ Joel!... I need you.   _ He turns around as soon as he feels the voice behind him.  But as soon as he does, he doesn't see anyone there. He doesn't know why that voice sounds so familiar, or why he’s been hearing it.  It’s like someone’s been whispering in his ear, but no one is there.

He turns around and continues his way up.  He gets to the second floor and walks toward his room.  Before he gets there, he passes in front of Sarah`s, but stops there, when he hears the voice again.   _ Joel!... Where are you! _

The voice seems to come from inside her room, so Joel goes to the door and opens it.  He looks inside and sees that nothing has changed in there. The room looks just like he remembers it from the last time he was there.  But he’s not sure when that was… was it this morning? he asks himself, not even remembering what day today is. He walks out of the room and closes the door.  He walks toward his room, and when he gets there, he sees that his room is also the same way he remembers it. He enters his room and starts to look around when he hears the voice again:   _ Joel!... I need you! _

_ Shit -- what the hell is this, why am I hearing this voice… who are you?  _ Joel asks the voice, but he doesn't get any answer.  As that is starting to piss him off, he walks to the bathroom and turns on the sink faucet.  He puts some water on his hand and splashes it on his face, several times. After that, he puts his hands on the edge of the sink and closes his eyes.   _ What the hell has happened to me -- am I going crazy? _

_ Joel!... where are you… I need you, please!   _ There’s the voice again.

_ Shit, who are you and what do you want from me… just tell me… or leave me alone... PLEASE! _ He screams the last part, and that can be heard in all the house.  He shakes his head and in that moment, he feels that someone is at the entrance of the bathroom.  Joel turns his head and sees Sarah standing there, looking at him with a sad expression. “Sorry, baby girl, I don't mean to scare you... I don't know what is going on with me.”

“It’s okay, Daddy... I understand.  I want you here more than anything, I miss you so much.  But I know that this is not your time, and you’re needed elsewhere.” 

“What do you mean by that?... I don't understand... do you know what is happening to me?”

“You’re still hearing her voice… right?” Sarah asks him with a more serious voice.

“Her voice?... you hear that, too?... do you know who she is?” asks Joel desperately.

“Yes!... and you do, too… it’s just hard for you to remember now, but you know who she is.”

“I do?... I…I don't understand.... Ellie!  That can't be, if I'm here with you? How can I still hear her voice... is this a dream?... Or I'm dead?”  asks Joel, looking in her eyes. 

“I can't explain what this is, or why you are here.  But she needs you, so you need to go back with her. It’s not your time to be here yet,” she says sadly. 

“Go back?... But I want to stay with you?... I don't understand why we’re back at our house... is this… heaven?... because I ain’t supposed to be here, if you are.”

“No, this is some place else.  I know you have a lot of questions, and maybe someday I can answer them.  I want us to be together again, but for now, it’s time for you to go.”

“Go!...  But Sarah, I want to stay with you... I love you.  I know that I did a lot of things that I ain’t proud of.  But I’ll do anything to be with you, even if I don't deserve it... Please, baby girl... forgive me... I just need--”

“It’s okay, Daddy, I love you too, no matter what you had to do before.  I wanted to be with you again, too. But that time will come when you are ready.  Before that, you have someone that needs you, so go back and help her.” Sarah moves close to him and hugs him.  “I love you, Daddy... I always have, and I will be here waiting for you, when that time comes.”

Joel hugs her back, as hard as he can.  “I love you too, baby girl. I always will.  I wish things were different, that none of this happened and we’d have a normal life.  And I wanted to tell you that she was never a replacement for you. No one can take your place.  But she changed my life, and I love her, too.”

“I know, Dad, I just want you to be happy, and I know that she can make you feel that way.  That’s why you need to go back -- she needs you right now. Don't worry about me; I'm happy if you are.”

Joel moves her head away from his chest, and kisses her on the forehead.  “I love you, baby, always.”

“I love you too, Daddy, always.”  Then she disappears, and everything starts to get dark, until Joel can't see anything.  He starts to feel pain in all his body. He doesn't know what just happened or what is going on.  He tries to open his eyes as soon as he hears a voice, but this time it’s not Ellie`s.

“Hey, doctor, I think he’s waking up,” says a man beside his bed. 

As Joel opens his eyes, he looks at the man beside him, still trying to focus, but he can't recognize him.  He moves his head and tries to get a look at the place to see where he is, but he doesn’t recognize the place, either.  He sees that the room he is in looks like a hospital room, but he doesn't remember how he got there. 

“Hey, how do you feel, man?” asks the man close to him. 

Joel can't remember this man, but his face looks familiar to him.  He is wearing a long-sleeved sweater with a hood, and he can barely see his face.  He tries to remember, and notices the scars on his face. He remembers seeing a black man with scars on his face, helping him. 

“John... you should not be here during the day.  Someone could recognize you, and then we’re going to have some problems,” says a woman on the other side of the room. 

“Oh, don't worry, Doc, I don't think anyone here can recognize me now.  I just want to be here when he wakes up. So he can tell me why those men were attacking him and the girl that was with him,” says the man, now looking to where the woman is.

As soon as Joel hears the mention of a girl, he moves one hand and grabs the man by the sweater, and pulls him down to him.  “The girl!... where is she?” he asks in a lower voice. 

“Hey… take it easy, man, I'm not your enemy here... we’re just trying to help you,” says the man, grabbing Joel’s hand so he lets go of him.

Joel lets go of him, but not because he wants to do it.  He barely feels his hand, or his body, so he lays back down on the bed.  The man moves away when the woman comes close to check on him. 

“John is right… we only want to help you, and you shouldn't try to move too much -- your body isn’t completely healed from your injuries.  It’s a miracle that you’re still alive... you lost a lot of blood from the shot you had to your arm. Not to mention the other injuries you have on the rest of your body,” explains the woman as she gets close to him.

“Who are you, and where is Ell-- the girl that was with me?... if you’ve done something to her, I swear that you’re going to pay for that,” says Joel while he tries to move up again.  

“Wow... I can't believe that you’re still like this.  Even when I brought you here, you were kicking like someone was trying to kill you... Besides, you should be more grateful that we care enough to save your life.”   

“Yeah, you were badly injured when he brought you here.  If it wasn’t for him, you’d be dead by now. So why don’t you just calm down, and let me check on you.  It seems like you hit your head, and I need to see if you don't have any brain damage?” 

“My head feels fine, I just need to know where the girl is.  So why don’t you stop talking nonsense and tell me--”

The woman shakes her head, but smiles a little at how this man can be so stubborn.  “Sorry… John told me that he saw you with a girl, but she wasn’t with you when he found you.  I know that you want to know what happened to her, but first, I need you to take care of yourself.”

“You don't understand -- if she’s not here, I need to go out and find out what happened to her.”

“I understand that you want to find your daughter, but when John brought you here, you were very injured… unconscious.  So we don't know exactly what happened to you, or your girl, but maybe if you can tell us, we can help you. So you can start by telling us your name.  Mine is Wendy, and I'm the doctor here. This is John -- he’s the one that brought you here, and you’re in a town called Pine Hill. So now that you know who we are, maybe you can tell us who you are?” says the woman, looking at him.

“Look, I don't care who you two are, or where this place is… So let me go before something happens to her,” says Joel while he sits up on the bed and tries to get out again.

“Hey, what are you doing?... you can't get out of bed -- you’re going to pass out,” says Wendy while trying to stop him.   

As soon as Joel puts his feet on the floor, he starts to get dizzy… and then everything goes black and he falls down.  Wendy manages to catch him before he hits the ground, but she has some difficulty getting ahold of him. He is heavier than she thought, so John moves close to her and helps her get him back to the bed.  After that, Wendy starts checking him again. 

“Do you think he’s going to be fine soon?” asks John. 

“With some rest and time, yes, I think so.  The gunshot wound is healing fine, but he still has a few busted ribs and a few cuts on his left leg, and other places.  He will recover from those in a couple of weeks, maybe less. But if he continues moving and trying to get out, he is going to get worse.”

“Well, let's hope that when he wakes up, he stops being so stubborn,” says the man, looking at him. 

“I’ll do all that I can to save his life… that is my job.  But I don't get why you’re trying to help him... You don't know who he is.  He could be a hunter... or worse,” says Wendy while she continues with the examination.  

“Yeah, I don't know who he is.  But one thing I’m sure of is that he’s not one of them.  I managed to see how he fought those men. And the girl he’s talking about... they took her, so I assume as soon as he gets well, he’s going to help us.” 

“Help us... how?  He can barely stand up -- how do you think he’s going to help us?  Or, better -- why?”

“If you saw how he fought those infected in the city -- and later, those men... You would see what kind of man he is.”

“He almost got killed, so I don't get why you put so much hope in him.  He’s going to be lucky if he gets better in a few weeks,” says Wendy, moving away from the bed. 

“Well, I can see that he is a survivor, and I know that those men have his daughter.  As a father myself, I know he will do anything to get her back.”

“I’m sorry about your son, John... part of that was my fault, and I will do everything I can to help you get him back.  I just hope that you know what you’re doing. I mean, trusting this man that you just rescued. Not to mention the trouble I’m going to be in if Matthew sees him or you here,” says Wendy, putting a hand on John’s shoulder.

John puts one hand on top of hers and looks her in the eye.  “Don't blame yourself for that. You did all you could to help us.”  

“Yeah, but that doesn’t make me feel better.  I worked for them for a time, remember? And it’s my fault that they got your boy and almost killed you,” says Wendy, lowering her head.

“I don't blame you… you’re not like them, and you don’t work for the Fireflies anymore.  You do so much for this town... I’ve seen that in the short time I’ve been here. Don't worry, I’ll get my son back, and I know this man is going to help us.  Just make sure that he does.” 

“I’ll do my best... he looks like a strong man, so I’m sure he’s going to be fine.  He just needs time to recover. Speaking of time, you’d better go -- we don't need the people here to know that you’re still alive,” says Wendy, moving away. 

“I don't know why you’re so worried... you practically run this place now, after they killed Jacob.”

“That may be true, but we don't know who to trust now, after what happened to you and your son.  There’s a lot of good people here, but some of them are scared, and people that are scared do stupid things.  So it’s better for now to keep this between us, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah... I will go and come back in a few days.  If he wakes up before that, talk to him. I know you can make him understand our situation here.  You're good at that.” 

“ I will try... just be careful out there, okay, and don't worry, I will take care of him.”  

“Thanks.  I have faith that this man is going to be our salvation.  I’ll see you in a couple of days.” With that, the man goes out of the clinic where they have Joel. The doctor moves close to the bed again and looks at him more carefully.  “I don't know what John sees in you, but I hope he is right about you,” says Wendy in a lower voice, then walks out of the room.

 

(A week later)

It’s been 2 weeks since Joel was rescued and brought to a little town close to Rapid City by John.  He woke up a week after that, but went unconscious again. The doctor there has been taking care of him.  John came a few days later to check on him, but as Joel was still out, he went away again. Some of the people of the town that come to the clinic started asking who he was.  But Wendy just told them that he was an old friend of hers that came from another colony and was attacked by hunters. Nobody questioned her much about that, so things were quiet for awhile.  Lucky for them, the last time the Firefly group from the military air base close to Rapid City came was before John brought him into the town. 

The little town where Joel is now is called Pine Hill; it’s a small settlement to the south of Rapid City that is in the southwest of the state of South Dakota.  The city is close to the border of Wyoming. The population of the town is small: just 50 or 60 people. They fixed the place up to try to have a new life there. 

Most of the people there are just old farmers and animal hunters.  Some are young ones that try to have a better life. The town was part of a big housing complex that was called Colonial Pine Hill, back in the day, but just a portion of that complex was turned into the small colony it is now, with walls and fences.  Just to keep out the infected or other threats. 

Joel opens his eyes slowly, after being out for another week.  He tries to focus and look at the room he is in. He moves his head from side to side until he sees a young woman standing in the door frame of the room. 

“Doctor, I think that your patient friend is awake,” says the young woman, looking to one side of the corridor. 

Wendy comes quickly, stops beside the other woman, and looks into the room.  “Okay, Mary, I will handle this. Just go to the front and if no one comes today after an hour, you can go home.  If something happens, I will send for you, okay?” The young woman nods, says goodbye to her, and walks away. 

Joel sees the older woman walk toward him and speak.  “Hi!... I hope you feel better today.” Joel looks at her, trying to register who she is and what happened to him.  “I hope we can do all this a little better this time.” 

“Who’re you... and where am I?” asks Joel, a little confused.  

“Oh, I see that you don’t remember me… well, seeing the circumstances, I think that that is normal.  So maybe it’s good if we introduce ourselves again. Okay, my name is Wendy, and I'm the doctor of this town... and yours is?”

“Look, I don't need to know your name.  I just need to know where I am and where is El-- I mean, the girl that was with me.” 

“No name, then, umm… well, I wished to do this with John here.  Because he can explain this better than me. He was the one that rescued you, so he knows more than... me.  Even though he told me some of what happened,” says Wendy, getting closer to the bed. 

“Rescue me!... I don't get any of this... why not just tell me what happened to the girl?” 

“Because she’s not here and I’m not sure where she is... Look, I will tell you what John told me.  But if you want more information, you need to wait until he comes back.” 

“So you’re telling me that she ain’t here?” asks Joel with a hard voice while he tries to sit up in the bed.  Wendy moves quickly toward him and puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him. 

“Please don't do that -- you still have some injuries that haven’t healed well yet, and the last time you tried to get out of bed, you blacked out.”   

“Last time?... how long have I been in here?” asks Joel with a worried face. 

“You’ve been here for two weeks,” answers Wendy with a calm voice.

“Two weeks!... I need to get out of here.  If those men have her, or are still looking for her... I need to find her first.” Joel tries to get up again, but feels a strong pain in one of his legs and arms. 

“I’m sorry about your girl, but there’s nothing you can do for her now.  You need to recover first, if you want to go back out there. Even if you knew where she is, what are you going to do...? Your left leg is still in bad shape -- you can't move it too much without feeling any pain.  You also have some busted ribs, and your right arm is still not good,” she says to him, sadly.

“Listen, lady, I don't know you, and I’ve been worse off than this before.  I need to find my girl, before the men who attacked us find her and do something to her.”

“Did you not listen to anything I just told you?” says Wendy, looking at him in disbelief.

“You don’t understand.  She’s still out there. I don't know how I got here, but I need to find her.” Joel sits up in the bed and tries to walk away from it, but as soon as he puts his feet on the floor, he starts to feel the pain again.  The leg doesn't hurt much, but his chest does, and his right arm… he can barely move it, so he just stays hanging on to the bed, with his head down. 

Joel starts to get worried for Ellie; the last time he saw her was when he fell in that hole in the city building.  He thought that he was going to die, and not see Ellie again, so he said goodbye to her. He can’t forget the expression of horror in Ellie’s eyes when he said those last words to her, and to run to save herself.  Joel doesn't know how he survived the fall, or the infected that he saw down there. He could hear them coming at him… he managed to kill some before he passed out. But how he can still be alive is something he doesn't understand.  The woman said that someone brought him here, but he needs to know what happened to Ellie... this is something that is eating him alive. But the woman is right: what can he do now? He can't move much, and if he needs to fight to get to her, how is he going to do that?   _ But I can’t shake from my mind that all this is my fault.  If I just wasn’t so stubborn and tried to resolve what Ellie and I have back in Jackson, none of this would have happened.  _

The doctor moves close to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and looking at him with a sad expression. “I know that you’re worried for your daughter, but you need to recover first if you want to rescue her.”

Joel doesn't know what to think, but what this woman just said got his attention.  He moves his head and looks at her. “What do you mean, rescue her?... So you do know where she is?” asks Joel. 

“Well… we’re not sure if she is with them, but the probability is high,” says Wendy, moving away when she sees Joel’s face.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?... If you know where she is,  just tell me who has her?... shit, start talking, woman!” asks Joel desperately.

“Sorry I didn't tell you this before.  But I didn't know where to start or what you were going to do.”

“Well, you’d better start talking, and if you don't know where to start, why don’t you start by telling me who are the ones that have her?” Joel says with a hard voice.

“Maybe I can help you with that,” says a hooded man that enters the room.

“John!... you’re back.”


	39. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Joel is a wake now, he need to know what happen to Ellie and find her. But in another part a man reveal himself to Ellie a man that was looking for her for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 38 : Revelations**

  
  
  


The hooded man enters the room and walks close to the bed, stopping in front of Joel.  “Like I said, maybe I can help you with that. We’re not sure if they have her, but it’s a great possibility that they do.  So if you want to know, I can give you all the information I have.” 

“Look, I’m not sure what’s going on here, but if you have any information about what happened to her...” Joel doesn't know what to do right now.  He doesn't know these people or what their intentions are. They don’t seem like bad people, but if if he’s learned something in all these years, it’s that he can't trust anybody.  “So if you know who has her, just spit it out,” says Joel desperately.

“Well, it’s better if you sit down, because this is going to take a while.”  The man looks at Joel with some curiosity, not sure what his reaction is going to be. 

“I don't need to sit down -- just tell me what you know already,” says Joel with a hard tone.

“Okay then.  I’m glad that you still have your fighting spirit; you’re going to need it.  Okay, I will tell you what’s happened since I saw you and the girl in the city. I’ll start from the beginning.  My name is John, and she is Wendy -- that’s in case you don't remember us from the last time you were awake,” says the man, pointing at the doctor, then he looks at him.  “But if you want to know where your girl is, I will tell you what happened after you two entered the small hotel in the city.” John moves to the side of the bed close to Joel and starts to tell him what happened.  Joel reclines himself on the bed and listens to him. 

 

(John’s tale)

“I was in the city checking a few things when I saw you two enter a few buildings.  I was surprised to see people in that part of the city, because there’s still some infected there.  After a while, I saw you two enter the hotel, but a few minutes later, I saw a vehicle being parked close to the building.  I saw like 4 or 5 men, and well-armed. At first, I thought that they were part of them, but the clothes were different. Anyway, I moved to get close to the building when I heard some shooting inside.  And when I got close, I saw two men getting out of the building, carrying the girl. They took her into their jeep and drove away. I didn’t see you, so I thought they killed you, but when I was going to leave, I heard gunshots coming from inside the building, so I moved in.  When I got to the basement, I saw you on top of some debris, wounded and semi-conscious. You had already killed a few infected down there, including a clicker, so I moved quickly and killed the rest before they got you. I patched you up the best I could, but you passed out. I knew you weren’t going to make it if we stayed there, so I picked you up, and I found the way to get you out of there.  I took you to my horse and brought you here. The doctor did the rest and saved your life. After that, you woke up a week later... we tried to let you know what happened to you. But you tried to leave, and passed out again, and now, here we are.”

Joel looks at him, surprised.  These people saved his life, but he doesn’t see why.  “I don't understand... why did you two save my life?” asks Joel curiously. 

“Because I think you can help us.  I see that you look better now. I just hope that we didn’t waste our time saving your life.”   

Wendy looks at John with a serious expression.  “It’s not a waste of time to save someone’s life, John,” says Wendy, moving close to them.  “And speaking of that, I need to do some tests on you to--”

“Just wait -- are you telling me that I’ve been here for 2 weeks?” asks Joel, realizing what they’ve said to him.

“Yes!... and you’re lucky to be alive, so now--” she is interrupted again.

“Look, I’m grateful for what you did for me, saving my life and all that.  But you’re still not telling me where my girl is. You said that you may know who has her, so I need to know where they are?” asks Joel, more irritated now. 

“Yeah, sorry about that... I was getting to that part.  There’s an old military air base in the north part of the city.  There’s a group of Firefly people that came to this city like a year ago and made a base there and--” John is interrupted by Joel.

“WHAT!... did you say Firefly people?” asks Joel, looking at the guy furiously. 

“Yeah, the people on that base are Fireflies -- or ex-Fireflies, as they call themselves sometimes.  I bet you know that kind of people, from the look on your face. So I presume that you have some history with them too… is that right?” says John, looking at him. 

“You can say that, and if they have my… girl, this changes things.  I need to get there and get her out. So you have any weapons and transportation that I can use?” asks Joel, trying to move away from the bed.

“Look, you can’t go there like that... are you insane!  Those people are dangerous and well- armed, and in your condition, you don't have a chance to even get close to there,” says John.

“I don't care -- if they have her, I can’t leave her there.  I know those bastards, and they are going to kill her. So I need to get there as fast as I can.”

“I’m sorry, but you can’t go there -- not like this.  Look, I don’t know why you think they’re going to kill her.  But if they wanted to do that, she’d be dead by now. It’s been two weeks, remember?  I know these people. And they don`t kill people for no reason,” says Wendy, looking at Joel.

“She’s right... you need to recover first,” says John, putting one hand on his shoulder.  

“So if they found a way to use her, they will keep her alive.”  Wendy is surprised at the determination this man has. Even with all his injuries, he still wants to fight to get his daughter back.  But that is logical; if they’re going to hurt her, there is nothing a father wouldn’t do for his child. 

“Well, you don't know them the way I do.  So you don’t understand why I need to go there and rescue her.  And if you two ain’t going to help me, I’ll do it myself.” Joel starts to move away from the bed to get out of that place.  But as soon as he does, he starts to fall down. Lucky for him, John is close and catches him before he hits the floor. 

“Where are you going?” asks Wendy desperately.  “You can’t go there alone, least of all in your condition!”

“Don't try to stop me... I need to get there before those motherfuckers do something to her,” says Joel, trying to get away from John while he’s still holding him. 

“Man, getting yourself killed is not going to help her.  I understand your position. You want to save your daughter.  But we need a plan first, and you need to recover,” says John, trying to move him back to the bed. 

“I can't wait anymore... I already wasted two weeks, and she needs me.” Joel tries to get away from the man again, but the pain barely lets him move. 

“We want to help you, and maybe we can help each other.  I know what you’re going through -- believe me, I do. Those motherfuckers took my son, too, and they would’ve killed me if it wasn’t for Wendy.  I want to get my son back, too. They’ve had him for 3 months now, but I know that he’s still alive,” says John as he helps Joel sit on the bed.  

“How do you know he is alive?” Joel asks, looking at him.

“Because I know they’re not going to kill him.  At least, not until they have what they want. Those men are crazy, but if we work together, we can get them back,” says John with confidence. 

“Look, I can't wait.  Your son could be alive, but they’re not going to keep her alive for long.  I will do this alone if I have to. So just tell me where that Air base is, so I can go there--” Joel looks at Wendy when she puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Why do you think they’re going to hurt her?” Wendy looks at him, trying to find another reason for him to do this.  “Look, you can’t do this alone. Maybe you don't trust us, even after we told you the truth. Not that I blame you -- it’s hard to trust people these days.  But they have an army there, more than 40 or 50 men. And even if you think you can do this, you’re not going to get to her alive,” says Wendy with a sad voice.  

“I want to get my boy back as much as you want your girl.  But we need to do this together, okay? Just take a few days to get better, and I will help you.  I’m coming back tomorrow, so we can talk and make a plan... okay?” John looks at Joel, waiting for his answer.

A young man enters the room in a hurry.  “John, Matthew is coming this way -- we need to go... now,” says the man, getting close to him.

John looks at him and nods.  “Thanks, Billy, just give me a second, okay?” says John to the man. 

“Okay, but hurry up, we don’t have much time,” says the man, then walks out of the room.

John looks back at Joel.  “So what do you say?... can you wait a few days?”

Joel starts to think about all the things he said.  He doesn't trust anybody, and that keeps him alive. But this man saved his life, so he needs to consider all this.  When he fell in that hole, he was sure that he wasn’t going to see Ellie, but thanks to these two people, he had another chance to see her again.  Two weeks in the hands of the Fireflies is too much for Ellie, and even though he doesn't want to think about what they may have done to her in that time, he still has hope of going there and getting her back.  But they are right: what could he do in his condition? He can't fight like this, so he needs to wait. So he looks at John and gives him his answer. “Okay I will wait a few days. Also, I can use all the information you have of them,” answers Joel, still having some doubts.  

“That’s great, so we have a deal then!... Good, I will be back tomorrow night so that way, we can talk more, and think of a plan.  Get some rest, and recover soon. We’re going to need you in good shape if we want to get out of this alive.” John starts to walk out, but stops.  “I still don’t know your name, but I hope that that changes tomorrow,” says John, smiling.

“Okay, John, it’s time for you to go.  I will distract Matthew while Billy gets you out of town, okay?” says Wendy as she looks at the man standing up and starting to walk out of the room. 

“Wait a minute… why does he need to get out of town?  I thought that he lives here too.” Joel looks at Wendy, a little confused.

Wendy watches as John leaves the room, then she turns around to look at Joel.  “Well, that’s a long story that I’ll be glad to tell you later. But right now, I need to talk to the men in charge here,” she says with a smile, and starts to walk out of the room.  

“So, you’re not in charge here?” asks Joel, surprised.

“No…unfortunately.  But we’re lucky that the one who is... is not very bright.  Some people here think that I am… but that is another story.  Look, things are becoming a little complicated right now. And now that you’re awake, some people are going to start asking questions.  So it’s better for us if you don't mention John or any of our conversation to anyone here, okay?”

“I don't understand.”  

“Look, I will explain all that later, okay?  But right now, you just need to stay in bed and inside the room.  I told a few people that you’re an old friend of mine. So if someone comes here when I’m out, just tell them that your name is Roger.  I don’t know your real one, so I invented one... so try not to speak much, okay?” Wendy starts to walk out of the room when she hears Joel speak again. 

“Joel!...”

“What?... what did you say?” Wendy turns around and asks him.  

“It’s Joel… that’s my real name.  I’m not sure why, but I want you to know it.  And thank you for--”

“Wait a minute… are you telling me that your name is Joel?... Joel Miller?  You-- you’re the transporter man that Marlene hired in Boston?” Wendy’s eyes are wide open when she realizes who Joel is. 

  
  


***Later, in another place with Ellie***

  
  
Ellie is looking at the man in front of her; he told her his name like she should know who he is.  But she doesn't recognize that name. Why is she going to care about the names of the people here? The only thing they want from her is what she has on her brain.  So why aren’t they killing her already? She starts to think about Joel and what he’s doing right now. Ellie knows what the Fireflies want from her, so why don’t they take what she has?  She is locked up in a cell, and tied to a bed, without any chance to escape. So what more can go wrong? 

“You don't know who I am… right?” says Walter after looking at for a little while.

“Why should I know... who you are?... I’ve never seen you before in my life.  Besides, why do you care? You just want one thing from me, so why even bother to introduce yourself?  Because I don’t give a fuck who you are anyway,” says Ellie, turning her head to face the wall. 

“Ha, I can see now that you’re everything that Marlene said about you.  Sorry for tying you to the bed. But you must know how important you are to us,” says Walter as he moves close to the bed.

Ellie turns her head again and looks at the man.  “What!... did you know Marlene?” Ellie says, a little surprised to hear that name again. 

“Yes!... and from your expression, I can see that she didn't mention me.  Ohh… well, she always tried to keep her personal life separate from the Firefly business.  But I love her determination; she was such a dreamer. All she wanted was to save this world, to find a cure for the virus, and make things the way it was before.  But in time, she put away other things that mattered to her, and in the end, she lost everything.” 

Ellie looks at the man with curious eyes; why is this man talking to her about Marlene?  “I don't understand... Why are you telling me all this?” she finally asks.

The man is now pacing around the room, looking at her.  “Because you’re part of that story. Did you know that Marlene was going to get married?... ummm of course you don't.  I can bet that she never told you she had a boyfriend. Well, that was me. She didn't want many people to know that. She wanted to wait until the cure for the virus was found, and make a huge change in this world.  Ummmm… I told her that that’s going to take too much time, but she insisted on waiting, so I kept my distance. She always talked about your mother, and how she felt so sad for her death. And how she promised her she’d take care of you.  She also wanted to spend more time with you, but when the fight with the military became more intense, she needed to put you away.”

Ellie looks at him with mad eyes, knowing now who this guy is.  “So you’re the wacko that’s been looking for me all this time?”

“Wacko?... is that what you think I am?... after what you and your old friend did in Salt Lake City?... Well, that is a little funny, because after she contacted me, and told me that she found an immune person that had the potential to help them find a cure… I never had too much faith in that, anyway… all those doctors were always so disappointed every time they found one.  But she was so excited about you that she wanted me to come back. But things got hard in Boston, and she and the rest of the Fireflies there had to move away. She contacted me again a few weeks later telling me that they need to move the base they had in the university in Colorado and needed to find a new one. I lost contact with her again after Carlos and his mercenaries joined forces with the military and started to hunt us down.  By the time I found out where she was, it was too late. When I got to the hospital, the place was half destroyed, and most of the Fireflies there were dead. The ones that survived told me that an old man took you away and killed almost everyone in there, including the doctors and Marlene.”

“Look, I had nothing to do with that.  I’m really sorry for what happened there, and about Marlene, too.  But what’s done is done -- we can't change the past. And wherever you want to go with all this, it’s not going to bring her back or change the past.  I know that you people are still looking for the cure, but you’re wasting your time, because what I have is not going to help you with that,” says Ellie, sadly looking at him. 

Walter stops pacing around and looks her directly in the eye.  He finds it a little fascinating how this girl seems so smart. How old can she be now... 18, 19 perhaps?  But nothing she says is going to change anything. He’s been waiting for this for too long and now he’s going to get what he wants.  Marlene is dead because of her and that old man. “Yeah, those are pretty words, from the one that condemned this world to misery. My loved one is dead because of that, as well as many other good people that didn’t deserve to die that day, or in the following years.  So if you think that we can’t change anything, you are wrong -- we’re going to change a lot, and you’re going to help us with that.”

“Look, like I told you... I’m sorry about Marlene, and if I could make a difference in this world, I would.  But if you expect to get a cure from my immunity, that’s not going to work. I already said to your doctor that someone checked on me.  He said that what I have is not going to be enough to find a cure. So why don’t you and your people forget about all this nonsense and let me go,” says Ellie, trying to convince the man.

Walter looks at her with determination on what he is going to do.  “Oh, they told you that... ummm! Do you think that after all these years, we’re still looking for a cure?  That was Marlene’s dream, and that died with her. Even the rest of the Firefly group thinks that all that is a waste of time and resources.  They don’t even want to fight the military anymore... just stay in a hole and hide. But I’m going to show them how wrong they are.” 

“I don't get it then.  If you’re not looking for a cure, why did you keep looking for me and keep me prisoner in here?” Ellie moves her arm violently to show him what she means.   _ Is this man crazy?  What the hell does he want from me, if he’s not even looking for a cure… does he just want revenge! _  Ellie says to herself.

“I never said that I don't need you.  Finding a cure was Marlene’s dream. But we have better doctors now that can find another way for you to help our cause.  And now that you’re finally here, they can work on that.” He looks at his watch and then looks back at her. “Well, this has been an interesting conversation, but I have some work to do.” Walter starts to walk toward the door, but stops when he hears Ellie again.

“I don't get why you’re still doing this, or what you’re going to gain from me.  But if you don't want to find a cure, what is it that you want… Revenge?”

“Revenge!... on you?... Oh, no... I have a bigger plan for all of this.  And maybe in the process, I can open the eyes of the others Fireflies, too.  So maybe they can see that they can't hide from our destiny. The military and the one behind them have oppressed this world long enough.  They’ve been hunting us and killing us because we want the people to see the truth. But I’m going to show them that we have another way to win this war and make this world free of their tyranny.  As for what happened in Salt Lake City? I just want justice... But that was taken from me two weeks ago,” says Walter as he turns around to walk again to the door. 

“What do you mean by that?” asks Ellie quickly.

Walter turns around again and looks at her.  “They didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” she asks desperately.

A little smile forms on his face when he looks at her.  “They didn't tell you about your old man.” Walter shakes his head a little with a grin on his face.  “Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you knew,” says Walter calmly.

_ Joel! _ ... “Where is he? ...What did you do to him?” Ellie starts to ask desperately, and agitates her arm on the bed.

“Me?... unfortunately, nothing.  But I’m afraid that I have bad news for you… So if you’re hoping that he was going to come here and rescue you, you need to know that that’s never going to happen… because he is dead.”  

“WHAT!... You’re lying!… he can’t be dead… you… you’re just lying!” says Ellie with tears forming in her eyes.  

“I wish I was wrong, but I’m not.  After those guys brought you here and told me what happened, I went to the city with some of my men, to the building where they said you were with him.  And when I got to the basement, there wasn’t much left of him there. We found a lot of blood and a few dead infected there. I presume that he at least gave them a good fight before they got him. It’s a shame... I really want to meet him face to face,” says Walter with a smile on his face.  

“No!... no, no that’s not true… you’re lying, you son of a bitch.  You have him somewhere -- I know!... so just tell me where he is!?”  says Ellie, more furious now.

“Sorry, I wish that all that wasn’t true, because I wanted to do it myself.  I know that he was the one who killed Marlene. So I was hoping to make him suffer for that, but it’s too late now.  But If you don't believe me, I can bring you some proof of that… well, what’s left of him, anyway,” says Walter. 

“LIAR!... You just want to fuck with me.  I know he is alive, and if he is out there, he is going to come for me.  And when he does, you and your men are going to be sorry,” says Ellie while she struggles on the bed, trying to get up, but she can’t.

“Well… you can believe whatever you want, but I’m not expecting him to show up here.  He got what he deserved for killing a lot of our people. The only thing I regret is that I wasn’t there to see it.”  With that, he turns and opens the door, but before he leaves, he adds, “See you soon, Ellie -- we have a lot of work to do now.”  Then he leaves and closes the door behind him. 

Ellie just closes her eyes and screams as hard she can.  “Noooooo!!!” 

 


	40. A New Hope for Pine Hill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are started to get hard for both of them. Joel just want to go and get his Ellie back, and she have to deal with people that is holding her. But in time of pain she found out that she is not alone there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 39 : A New Hope for Pine Hill**

  


***Back with Joel***

  


Wendy is surprised when she hears his name.  She starts to remember the time she worked with the Fireflies.  “You’re the smuggler that Marlene hired to transport an immune girl from Boston to the Fireflies 5 years ago?” asks Wendy quickly.  

“What!...” is the only thing Joel could say at the moment.   _How does she know all that?  Only the Fireflies know that.  Tommy, Maria, and Dr. Wilson know that, too, back in Jackson, so if she knows, that means only one thing.  So it’s better to play dumb and see what she says._  “I don't know what you’re talking about, lady,” Joel lies to see how the lady will react.

Wendy tries to look for any sign of a confirmation, and after a moment... “Fuck!... you’re!... you’re really him, are you!… shit... this is going to complicate things.  If Walter finds out that you’re here…”

“Walter?... who the fuck is this Walter… and why did you say that this is going to com--” Joel tries to get some information, but he is interrupted by someone calling the doctor from outside the room.  

“Hey doc… are you here?” says a man outside the room.

“Shit!... okay, we can talk about this later -- now I need to get rid of the one in the lobby.”  Wendy turns around and walks toward the door, then stops. “Remember, stay here and try not to say a word.  I’ll tell him that you’re still unconscious, if he asks. The last thing we need now is for him to start asking questions that we can't answer.”  After that, she leaves the room and closes the door.

Joel stays on the bed, just like she said, wondering what this woman knows about him.  He notices that she seems a little scared of this Walter person, so who is he? That name is not familiar to him, but sounds important.  Is that man the leader of those Fireflies that have Ellie in that base? He needs to know, because if this man is the one looking for Ellie, he can’t wait here for John to come back.  He needs to find a way to rescue Ellie.

Joel moves off the bed and walks toward the door.  He wants to know what is going on in this place, and make sure that these people aren’t going to try to give him up to those assholes.  He still feels some pain, but he manages to get close to the door, and tries to hear what the doctor and the man that just arrived are saying.  He is starting to trust this woman, and maybe that guy that saved his life, too. But he doesn’t know anything about the people that live here, and as far as he knows, these people could be working with the Fireflies.  He puts his ear close to the door and tries to hear the conversation they’re having outside.

“Hey, Matthew!...” says Wendy with a little smile.  “To what do I owe the pleasure of having you here? Do you need something? ...Or you feel sick?” Wendy starts to say as soon as she gets into the lobby of the clinic.  The place was a veterinary clinic before it got modified.

“No!... I`m not sick.  I just came to talk about that man you’re keeping in here,” says the man with a hard voice.

“What do you need to talk about... again?... I already told you that he is a friend of mine.  He came from Texas, looking for me, and was attacked by hunters when he got close to the town.”  

“Yes... You told me that before.  But you never told me how he knew you were here?  Or why you told me not to tell anyone in town about him.  I know that people here trust you more than me. But if he has some issue with the Fireflies, you can't keep this man hidden in here.  The Fireflies’ patrol is coming here this week, and if they find him in here, we’re going to be in big trouble,” says the man a little nervously.

“That is why I told you not to tell anyone… Look, I know that we’re taking a risk here, but he’s not recovered yet, and I can't send him out to die.  If we play this right, they’re not going to find out that he is here. I will keep him hidden and out of sight, and send him out when he is better, I promise, okay?  I just need a little more time so he can heal enough to go back home.”

The man looks at her, not convinced by what she is saying.  “…. Fine, I will keep this quiet for now, but make sure that he stays here and no one sees him.  You know what happened the last time someone made these people mad.”

“Thanks, Matthew, for your help.  But you know that we need to stop this one day.  Our food supply is starting to get lower, and they’re taking some of the younger men and kids with them.”   

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that, and you know that.”

“We can still fight them!... look, I know some people that can help us.  If you let me call them, we--”

“STOP!... are you insane?  You know what happened to Jacob when he tried to do that.  And don't forget all the people that died with him. You got lucky that they didn’t kill you, too.  You don’t want that to happen again, do you?”

Wendy looks at him with a sad expression.  “Things were different back then. But if we call for help, maybe we have a chance,” says Wendy in a lower voice.  

“A chance?... with what… Ummm?  They took all the weapons from us; they only left us the bow and arrows so we can still hunt.  We are lucky that they keep this area clear of infected, and that we’re not suffering any attacks by hunters.  And bringing your mercenary friend here is not going to make things better. So stop all this shit before they find out,” says the man, more furious now.  “If we continue like this, we’re going to die. And I can guarantee you that when they don't need us anymore, they’re going to kill us anyway. So it’s better if--”

“That’s not going to happen if we cooperate.  They still need us… look, I’m warning you for the last time.  Stop all this shit about trying to make rebellion against them okay.  There's no way to win, and the only thing you’re going to accomplish is getting people to die in here.  They didn’t kill you last time because you worked for them before. But I bet that Walter guy is not going to be so generous if you try something like that again.  So for your own good, stop this nonsense before you get us all killed.” With that, Matthew turns around and walks out of the building. Wendy stays there for a moment, just looking at the door while the man leaves.  She knows that he is just scared, but who can blame him, since Walter is a crazy man.

Joel moves away from the door, confirmed on his suspicion about the woman.  But she seems sincere on fighting the Fireflies. So maybe he can work with that for now.   

Wendy lowers her head, turns around, and starts walking back to the room.  She is lucky that she sent her assistant away, since there’s nobody there except for Joel.  She only wants to help the people that live in this town. She continues walking toward the room where Joel is.  She keeps thinking of what John said about this man changing things around here. She stops in front of the door, trying to think of what she’s going to tell this man.  But if Walter has the girl that was with him, that is going to change things. _Well, it’s better do this now,_  says Wendy to herself while she opens the door of the room.

As soon as Wendy enters, she is grabbed by Joel and gets pinned to a wall by one of Joel’s hands.  “You work with them?... and you want me to trust you?... how do I know that all this isn’t just a trick?” asks Joel, feeling some pain while he speaks.  

“Ahhh… What are you doing?... you’re not… supposed… to get out… of bed…”

“Just answer my question!” says Joel angrily.

“That was a long time ago… I can explain that to you… if you let me... I’m just trying to help you... I know now that you have some issues with them, but I'm not your enemy here,” says Wendy, a little scared now.  

Joel releases her from his grip and moves a little away from her.  “I want to know everything, especially who this Walter guy is?” says Joel, looking at her with a mad expression.

Wendy is holding her throat and gasping for air.  “It’s better if you go back to bed and sit, because this is going to take a little time,” says Wendy while she moves away from the wall, following him.  “Okay… yes, I worked for them for 3 years. Marlene recruited me when she started looking for a cure. I was a doctor in a little settlement in Arizona when she came there.  But before everything went to shit, I was a medicine student in that state.”

Joel looks at her with some interest while she continues.  “When Fedra started to recruit doctors all over the country to fight the virus, I volunteered for that.”  She moves closer to the bed, but tries not to look at Joel in the face as she continues her tale. She tells Joel how the government and the military started to take control of the town.  Wendy starts pacing the room, telling him how Marlene showed up and started to talk about how the Fireflies were trying to find a cure. She was very convincing on how they wanted to make this country a better place, so a lot of people joined her.

“Yeah, she was very convincing in promising thing that she was never going to do,” says Joel, looking at her, marveling at how people believed all Marlene’s crap.

“Anyway, we didn't have much of a choice at the time.  We were only 15 people left in the town,” says Wendy, turning her head to look at him. “After that, we moved when the military started to hunt us down.  After 2 years, they stabilized a base at the university in Colorado. We had a good laboratory there, and after we found the first immune person, we started to do some experiments on monkeys to try to find a vaccine.”  

“I don’t want to be rude and all that, but what I need to know is who this Walter guy is and how you know about us,” says Joel, interrupting the woman’s tale.

“Sorry, I was getting there... Okay, after a few months there, a man came there... it seemed like he was Marlene’s boyfriend or something.”

“Boyfriend?”Joel asks, surprised.  For a moment, he thought that she was referring to Tommy. But then he remembers that Tommy told him that he left Marlene long before that time, so he doesn't say anything and lets the woman continue.

_“_ Yeah _..._ I think he was.  Anyway, after a few days, Marlene and some of the Fireflies there went to Boston, and the man in charge of the place, his name was Walter.  But this man wasn’t like Marlene, and after a few months there, he started to put some pressure on us.  A few weeks later, the monkeys that we were using started to get out of control, so we had to leave. He sent us with some of his men to Salt Lake City, where the Fireflies established a new base in the hospital.  He went with the rest of his men to search for other immune people. After he returned with 2 immune people, he made us do whatever we needed to find a cure. I didn’t like the way the doctor in charge started to treat those people.  A few weeks later, Marlene called and told us that she had a girl in Boston who was immune and that she was going to find someone to smuggle her out of town… with two people. I didn't like the way they were doing things there, so I decided to get away from that place, and never go back.”

“Wait a minute -- you’re telling me that this Walter guy was Marlene’s boyfriend?” asks Joel quickly.

“Yes!  And he is the one in charge of that base John was talking about.  I heard a few months later, after I left, that the base was attacked, and Marlene and almost all the Fireflies there were killed.  They said that one man did all that in the hospital. After that, he became obsessed with finding the man and the girl responsible for that.  So I can guess that that man was... you,” she finishes.

Joel looks at her, not knowing what to say.   _This woman is helping me, but she also worked for those bastards in that hospital.  And she just told me that they were doing things to the immune people they found. But at least she has a conscience and left all that.  So this guy must be the one that’s been looking for Ellie_.  “So you worked for those people, knowing that they were doing all those things to those people?” asks Joel, a little irritated.

“I already told you that I got out of there after I found out what they were doing.  Marlene wanted a cure and she was more patient, but Walter wanted results, no matter the consequences.”

“And now he has E...”  Joel doesn't know if it’s a good idea to mention Ellie’s name, but at this point, it makes no matter to hide all that.  This woman worked for them and she already knows all about Ellie’s condition. So right now, he needs all the information he can get, if he’s going to get there and rescue Ellie.  “If this guy is as crazy as you said, all the more reason I need to get Ellie out of there. They think that her immunity is the answer for a cure, and they’re going to kill her for that,” says Joel desperately as he tries to move away from the bed again.

“I know that you worry for her, I can understand that, but he is not going to kill her, at least not for now.  I heard that they’re using the immune people they found for other experiments, and--” she stops when she sees Joel come close to her.  

“And you think that’s better?... what the fuck do they want to get from immune people if not the cure?” asks Joel, madder now.

“I don't know exactly what they’re doing there.  They only keep us alive because they use us to get food and supplies for them.  Sometimes they take a few people to work with them, and they never come back. I’m trying to do the best I can to help the people here, but if we try something, they come here and kill innocent people just to make an example.”

Joel moves away from her again, trying to think on what to do.  He needs to get Ellie out of there, but how? He isn’t at his best to go there right now, but if that man is doing something to Ellie, he can’t leave her there for much longer.  “I need… to get her out…” says Joel with a sad voice.

“I know, and I want to help you -- and John’s boy, too.  Whatever this guy is doing there is not going to be good for anybody.  He’s not even working with the Fireflies -- his group is independent of them now.  If you want a chance to get her back, you need to wait for John. Maybe the three of us can find a way to get them back and stop Walter.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that sicko -- I’m going to make sure that he doesn’t hunt more immune people… ever,” says Joel, walking slowly toward the bed.

“Don`t worry, we’re going to find a way to get them both out… Just get better.  I will bring you something for the pain, and some food.” With that, the doctor leaves the room and closes the door.  She leans against the door and starts to think. _John, I hope you have a plan for this, because after today, there’s no going back for us._

  


***Back at the Air base***

  
  
Ellie doesn’t want to believe that Joel is dead.  Even though that mad man told her that Joel was dead.  But after he returned a few hours later with a bloody shirt, Ellie didn't know what to think anymore.  The shirt that he showed her looked like the one she remembered him wearing the last day they were together.  As soon as she recognized the shirt, she started to cry, knowing that she wasn’t going to see him again. The doctor that came with him had to give her something to make her sleep.

The next day Ellie, wakes up with some tears in her eyes, still tied to the bed in her cell.  Ellie never believed that Joel was dead after he went away for 2 years. But now it seems that he’s never coming back.  She is trying not to believe what that man told her, but as soon as she saw what was left of the shirt, she started to remember how Joel fell into that hole.  She remembered the scream of infected down there, before someone hit her on the head. The woman doctor came as soon as she woke up to check on her and take another blood sample.  Ellie doesn’t even care about that anymore; she only wishes that she fell into that hole, too. The woman told her that if she doesn’t try to escape again, they can release her from the bed.  She also told her that all this was going to save humankind from total destruction. That as soon as they find the cure, all of this is going to be over. But Ellie doesn't care about that now; the only thing in her mind is Joel.  And if Joel is dead this time, she doesn’t want to live anymore. Ellie knows that Joel wants her to continue with her life, to fight even if he’s not there anymore. But how can Ellie do that? It was so hard those two years when he was gone.  And now that he’s never going to come back to her, she can't do that.

After the doctor leaves the room, a guard and an assistant come and try to give Ellie something to eat, but she pushes away the tray as soon as they loosen the bindings on her hands so she can eat.  Ellie starts to scream and yell again, so they have to sedate her again and tie her up on the bed to keep her calm. Ellie wakes up a few hours later and starts to hear a voice coming from a room next to hers.  She doesn't know who it is, and doesn’t even care -- she only wants to be alone with her pain.

“Hey, is someone there?” asks Ellie, looking at the wall beside the bed.  When no one answers after a few minutes, she asks again, but louder. “IS SOMEONE THERE?”

_“Hey, I know there’s someone there…. I heard you yelling and screaming this morning… so who are you?”_ says a younger voice on the other side. _“Are you new here… did you come to help, too?”_ asks the voice again.

Ellie turns her head toward the wall and sees a little hole at the top of the wall.  “Help?... what do you mean help?... who are you?... are you a prisoner here, too?” asks Ellie with a sad voice.

_“Prisoner?… ummm, I’m not a prisoner here, I’m a guest.  My dad and I are helping the people here to find a cure for the virus,”_ says the voice.     

_Guest?... cure?... who is this person that is so naive?_ says Ellie to herself, but then she starts to realize that the voice sounds too young.  “Hey... who are you and how old are you?” asks Ellie.

“… _ummm… my name is Jonathan and I'm ten... So who are you... what is your name?”_ the boy asks back.

“Ten?... ummm, why do they have you in a cell?”

The boy doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, then he speaks again.  “…. _They told me that this is the safest room in this place.  They told me that if some people come here to hurt me, this is the best place to keep me safe.”_

_Ha, those bastards!... how many lies they can tell to that poor kid,_ says Ellie to herself, but she needs to know why they’re keeping a young boy here.  “Hey, you said that you and your dad are helping these people here to find a cure, right?... So how are you doing that, and where is your dad?”  

_“Ohhh yeah… ummm_ _my dad is helping them outside this place and they found that I have a special condition that can help them find a cure for the plague… Are you special, too?... they told me that these rooms are only for special people like me.”_

_So this kid is immune too!... Joel told me that they were hunting people like me before… but this young.  Do these people not have any heart?_ Ellie tries not to think about how many immune people the Fireflies have killed or hurt all these years.  Just to try to find a cure that they’re never going to find. “How long have you been here… ummm Jonathan, right?” asks Ellie.

_“Ummm… I’m not sure, maybe a few months... they don't tell me those things or talk too much with me… hey, you’ve been asking a lot of questions but you’re not telling me your name,_ ” says the boy, a little desperate now.

Ellie doesn't know why she is talking to this kid.  But at least he’s keeping her a little distracted from her sadness.  “Oh… sorry, my name is…” Ellie stops for a moment to think if it’s a good idea to tell the boy her name.  But does that matter anyway? These people already know who she is, so there’s no point in hiding her name anymore.  “My name is Ellie and I’m 19,” says Ellie finally.

_“19!... ahhhh… you are too old, I thought that you were more like my age.  So maybe they could let us play… or be my friend,_ ” answers the boy with a sad tone

_Old!_... Ellie’s sadness comes back again as soon as she hears that.  She wanted Joel to think of her as an adult for so long, and now… tears start to fall again from her eyes.  After a few minutes, “Sorry, kid... but I don't think they were going to let us... play.”

_“Are.. you crying?... are you in pain or something?”_ says the boy with a sad tone.

Ellie tries not to sound so sad, but how can she tell this kid what these people are going to do with them, or how much pain she feels in her heart?   _What exactly are these people doing?  And to a kid. But Joel told me that they were going to open up my head and kill me to get what they need, so why are they not doing that to that boy, or me, yet?_  Thinking on all that, and about Joel, starts to make her sad, but she needs to know what these Fireflies are doing with all the immune people they capture.  “Hey kid, what exactly have they been doing to you?... I mean, you said you’re helping them, so how?” she tries to sound more normal.

The kid keeps quiet for a little while before he speaks again.   _“They told me that it’s too complicated for me to understand.  But they took a lot of blood from me, and sometimes they inject me with some stuff that hurts.”_

_Injecting him with something?... what the fuck are these people doing here?  Yeah, that man told me yesterday that they have other uses for me. What the fuck have they been doing to that poor kid, and are they going to do the same to me?_  She starts hoping that the mad man lied and Joel is still out there looking for her and planning how to save her.  Because whatever these people are going to do is not going to end well.


	41. Calling for help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Ellie continue in the hands of the Ex-Fireflies . John convince Wendy to call a old friend of her to help them to get Ellie and his son back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 40 : Calling for help**

  
  


***Next day back in the town***

  
  
  


Joel tries to get some rest during the night, but even though some of the pain is gone, thinking of Ellie trapped there with those bastards doesn't help much.  Wendy comes in the morning to check on him and see if he feels better. Just a few people know that he is awake, including her assistant and the young man that is helping John to get in and out of the town.  The fewer people who know they’re there, the better. John is coming tonight, so it’s better for Joel to rest as much as he can if they are going to start planning the rescue. 

Wendy made a small lab in one of the rooms at the clinic, and sometimes she spends time there studying blood samples from some infected people.  She’s also teaching her assistant how to do it, in case she needs help with that, or something happens to her. After she checks on Joel, Wendy goes to work in her lab for a few hours.  She is working on a few samples from some infected Matthew’s men killed when they got close to the gate a few months ago. John brings her some samples sometimes too, when he comes back from his trips to the city.   

Wendy is so into her work that she jumps when she hears a voice at the door.  “Isn’t that dangerous?” asks her assistant.

“Shit!... you scared me…”

“Sorry... I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” 

“It’s okay, I was just checking some samples, and to answer you:  not like this; the blood needs to be in contact with your own blood to infect you.  Like in a bite, or if you’re in contact with the spores. But you shouldn’t enter here without any protection… that is dangerous, okay?” says Wendy, moving her head away from the microscope that she’s using. 

“But why do you continue studying those?... Not even the doctors from that Firefly base have been able to find a cure yet.”

“I like to continue studying this... hoping to find something one day, I guess.  And I don't think those doctors out there are looking for a cure. Well, not anymore, I think.”

“But they said they are -- that’s why they need our help… right?” 

“Don't believe everything they said; I know them.  Believe me, whatever they’re doing there is not for the good of humanity.  But you came here for a reason, right?... Is there anything you need from me?”

“Oh, yes… you have a new patient here, and he’s asking for you.”

“Okay, thanks… go and tell him that I’ll be there in a few minutes.” 

“Yes, doctor,” says the young woman while she walks toward the door of the small lab and goes out. 

After that, Wendy starts to put things back in the cabinet and fridge so she can go attend her new patient.  After a few hours of work, she goes to her home and gets some rest. The people of the town continue with their daily business.  When the night comes, Wendy goes back to the clinic and brings some food to Joel. The clinic is empty when she arrives, so she walks to Joel’s room to bring him the food.  As soon as she gets to his room and opens the door, Joel has finished changing his clothes and is standing close to the bed.

“Hey, you shouldn’t be out of bed yet -- you need the rest to recover, remember?”

“Sorry, but I can't sleep, and thinking about what’s going on with Ellie ain’t helping,” answers Joel while he finishes buttoning up a clean shirt that Wendy gave him.

“I know you’re worried for her, but John is going to be here soon.  So we can think about how to get his son and your girl back,” says Wendy, getting close to him and putting the food on the table close to his bed.

“I just... need to do something… do you know what they do to the immune people?” asks Joel, more in a frustrated way. 

“I know that they’re not doing anything good.  Look, I’m really sorry for what these people are doing, and for being part of that at some point.  The Fireflies just wanted to free the people from the tyranny of F.E.D.R.A. But I think that at one point, everything went south.  I’m not going to excuse them for the things they did in the past, but I want to let you know that all this now is because of Walter and Owen… they just think that what they’re doing is right,” answers Wendy, looking at him.

“I don't give a shit what the Fireflies do or the reasons for doing it, or the military, either.  But using and killing innocent people just to try to find a cure is not right. I’m not going to hold that against you; if you worked for them in the past, that is on you.  But knowing what they do now, and doing nothing!... that is something different.”

“When they first came, they told us that they were looking for a cure and that they were close to finding it.  They made me test all the people here, just to be sure no one here was immune. But as soon as we found out what they were doing there, we tried to do something.  A lot of people died because of that.”

“So that’s how they found out about John’s son?” asks Joel with curiosity.  

“No, they found out about him later.  John and his son weren’t here the first time they came.  He arrived here a few months later... they were looking for a place to stay for a while.  Jacob welcomed them here. But when they found out about the boy, they sent someone for him.  I told them to leave town. Jacob tried to help him, but they came here with a lot of men and guns.  They killed Jacob and 20 more people that were with him. They found them later, and took the boy with them... and tried to kill John,” explains the doctor with a sad expression.

“So someone ratted him out… And why didn’t they do something about you?... You worked with them before, so why didn’t they take you too, to work for them again?” asks Joel.  

“Yeah, maybe someone did, but don't judge people here.  They’re just scared, and some have children and family. And after the little rebellion, a lot of people got scared.  And about why they didn’t take me back, I don’t really know. Walter didn’t recognize me when he came here, but Owen did.  But he didn’t say anything,” says Wendy, lowering her head, looking the other way.

“She’s right… I don't blame these people.  And I’m sorry that Jacob and the others that tried to help us died for that,” says John as soon as he enters the room.

“John, you’re back!... I thought that you were going to come later… did you have any problems?” asks Wendy, looking at him now.

“No, I just had to do something... a few things, first.  But I saw more security on the wall tonight.”

“Yeah, Matthew doubled that last night after you left.  I think he is starting to get suspicious or paranoid.”

“Well, I hope we can put an end to this soon,” says John, closing the door and moving close to Joel and Wendy.

“Well, you told me to wait, that you have a plan to get them back.  So... do you have a way to get into their base?” asks Joel quickly.

“As a matter of fact... Yes, I do.  I found a way in that might work, but we’re going to need more help.”

“What do you mean more help?... Because I don't think that the people here are willing to help us,” says Wendy, trying to figure out John’s plan. 

“I’m not talking about the people here.  I’m talking about professional help, and you know who I’m referring to,” says John, looking at Wendy now.  “I think it’s time for you to call your friend.” 

Wendy stays static with her eyes wide open, not knowing what to say to him.  She knows who he is referring to. But she is not sure if that is a good idea, even if she’s thought of doing that a couple of times after the Fireflies came to town.  But she doesn't know if he can come, or if he's still alive. 

“You’re asking me to call him?... When I told you about him, that was some time ago.  I don't even know if he’s still alive or not. The last time I talked to him was two years ago, and I haven't heard from him since,” says Wendy, a little nervous.

“Well... we need to try, if we want to get inside that base.  Carlos is the best chance we have for that,” answers John.

“Wait a second!... are you referring to Carlos`s mercenaries?” Joel asks John, then he turns in Wendy’s direction.  “And you know them?” 

“Ummm… Sure, I know him.  He saved my life after I left the Fireflies in Salt Lake City.  He also brought me to this place and told me that I can be of use here, and be safe.”

“You know that his group works with the military, right?” says Joel with some disgust.

“Yeah, he was, but the last time I talked to him, he told me that he was going to retire from that.  Anyway, he helped the military to hunt down the Fireflies. So I don’t see why you have a problem with that... How do you know about him, anyway?” says Wendy in a defensive tone. 

“Don’t take it in a bad way, I just heard rumors about him and his men.  And no offense, but I don't work with any military people,” says Joel firmly.

“Well, you’ll have to if you want to save your girl, because it’s going to be impossible to get in there without their help,” says John.

“John... even if we find the way to contact him, how is this going to work?... his men are not more than ten and the Fireflies on that base are more than 60 -- and well-armed, too.”

“Don't worry about that.  I have a plan that we can discuss later.  But for now, we need to contact your friend, as soon as possible.” 

“Okay, but for that, we need to go to the tower.  And to do that, we need to wait for the change of guard at midnight.  So I’m going to prepare my things,” says Wendy, walking now toward the door and leaving the room.

John looks at Joel after she leaves.  “Look, I don't know what your problem is with the military, but Carlos is an old friend of hers.  And he’s the only one that can help us get my son and your girl back.”

“I don't like this, and getting this mercenary into this… is going to get someone killed.  I ain’t going to trust the life of my girl to them. No matter what you or Wendy say.”

“Well, that is up to you, but we need them to get into that base.  And they’re ex-military, so if you don't trust them, that is your problem.”   

“I’ve seen what the military do, and the ex-ones, too.  So excuse me if I don't trust any of them.”

“Well, I’m going to use anything I can to save my boy.  Look, I need your help, and the only way to save them is by doing this,” says John, moving toward the door.  Joel looks at him as he leaves the room. He never really trusts anyone, and every time he tries, it ends up being a bad decision.  But if saving Ellie means working with these people, he is going to do it. He never liked the military after what they did to his daughter.  He heard a few things about this man Carlos and his mercenaries, on how they helped the military to take down a few Firefly groups. So in his eyes, that is a good thing.    

Joel walks out of the room and meets up with Wendy and John in another one.  They were preparing a few things they need to go to the transmission tower. “Look, I have my reasons for not trusting the military, but if they can help us take down those bastards, I can work with that.  Also, I want to go with you to that tower.”

John and Wendy look at him, surprised to see him standing there, looking at him.  “Well, that’s good to know. But I don't think it’s a good idea to get out there in your condition,” says Wendy, finishing with her packing.

“I feel better now, and even though I’m still having some trouble with my arm, I can still shoot,” says Joel quickly. 

“I still think that you need more time to recover, so going out is not a good idea,” Wendy says again.

“Let him come -- maybe it’s good for him to get out for a while.  Besides, if we go out, he is going to be here alone. Someone could come here and start to ask questions, so it’s better if he is with us,” says John, trying to make a point.

Wendy thinks for a moment, and knows that John is right.  Leaving him here alone is going to be dangerous, so it’s better to keep an eye on him.  “Okay, you can come, but do as we say, and if you start to feel bad, just tell me right away, okay?”

“Okay, sure.  Now I’m going to need a gun, too, since I don't have any of my stuff with me,” says Joel, looking around. 

“Oh, don't worry about that -- I grabbed your backpack when I took you out of that building.  Let me look for it... I think I put it in another room.” John walks out of the room, and a few minutes later, he comes back with Joel’s bag.  “Here you go -- everything is in there, if you’re going to wonder if we took something.” 

Joel takes the backpack and smiles, glad that he hasn’t lost the few personal things he has inside there.  He smiles when he sees his favorite gun is there, too. He takes it out and starts to check it, and see if it’s still working right.  After that, they wait until midnight, and get out of town without anyone noticing them. 

 

( A few hours later )  

Joel, Wendy, and John are walking toward the radio tower.  The tower is a few miles into the forest that surrounds the town.  Wendy and John are walking in front, since they know where the tower is.  John is explaining something to Wendy that Joel can't hear, as he is walking a little behind them.  But after a few minutes, he walks closer to them and speaks.

“How do you know that radio is still working?” asks Joel curiously.

John turns his head back and looks at Joel.  “Don't worry about that. I checked it last month and it was working okay.  I stayed there for awhile when I was recovering from my injuries,” answers John.

Joel continues.  “So the Fireflies tried to kill you, and then took your son?... How did you find out that your boy is immune?” Joel asks.  John pauses for a moment, trying not to get affected by the memory of the day they took his son. 

Wendy looks at him; she knows the story and how hard this is for him.  “You don't need to talk about that right now, I know ho--” she starts, but John interrupts her.

“It’s okay... maybe it’s better that he knows, so that way, he can understand all this.”  John stops for a moment and looks at Joel. “There’s a little river close to here, we can stop there for water and rest for a few minutes.  I will tell you about that when we get there.” With that, he starts walking again without saying any more words. Wendy and Joel move after him.

When they arrive to the river, John knee down and drink some water. He stand up and sit on a rock close by. Wendy and Joel do the same. 

John starts to tell Joel his story.  He tells him how he and his wife lived in the QZ in Louisiana for 8 years.  And how people started to get desperate when the food and water started to get low… when the military started to ration everything -- even having kids was prohibited.  So when he found out that his wife was pregnant, they decided to get out of there. Joel looks at him while he continues with his story. 

He told him how they found a little place a few months later.  And how his wife was bitten when she was still pregnant. He waited for a few days, as he lost the courage to kill his wife and unborn child.  For some reason, the virus didn’t affect her completely, so she wasn’t completely transformed.

She told him to save the child, and after he did a  cesarean , his wife died.  He told Joel that he stayed there for a time, but after 2 years, he had to move, and try to find a better place to take care of his son.  He traveled a lot, until they found the Pine Hill town. He told him what happened there with the Fireflies, and how all that had ended -- until now.  He feels sad when he finishes his story, because he hasn’t talked about that in a while. 

Joel looks at him with some sympathy.  “That was an interesting story. And I'm sorry about your wife, and now your son. ” 

“Yeah, thanks.  Now that they think I’m dead, I’ve been watching their base, and looking for any way to get my son back.  Also, I took notes on all their activity there: like patrol, how many guards they have on the fence, rotation time, all that kind of thing.  I’ve been looking there for a few months, until I got better. But now is the time to take them down,” he says with all his confidence.

“Well, it’s better if we continue... it’s not good to stay here too long,” says Wendy, moving away.

“Yeah, she’s right.  There are some wild animals around here, and also, we can get into some infected around here,” says John, following her.

Joel moves too, and walks beside John.  “How do you know that your boy is still alive after all this time?” asks Joel while they continue walking.

John looks at him.  “In one of my surveillances, I saw him.  They keep him in one of the small buildings that is close to the hangar area.  I haven’t seen him again for a few weeks, but I know he’s still alive,” answers John.

“Oh, and you didn't tell me how you knew your son was immune.” Joel looks at him.

“Yeah, about that.  Well, after a month in the town, I told Wendy about what happened to his mother.  So she examined him, and after a few tests, she discovered that he was immune. After that -- a few weeks later -- the Fireflies found out about him, and you know the rest.”

Wendy turns and looks at the two men.  “Sorry to interrupt both of you, but we’re here,” she says, pointing at the radio tower a few feet away. 

“Oh, right…” says John as soon as he sees the tower.  “Okay, looks like nobody came here to mess with it. So with any luck, everything is going to be fine.  The tower isn’t too high, so I think you’re not going to have any problem getting up,” he says, looking at Joel.  After that, they start to climb the tower.

The tower is what the National Forest rangers use to keep an eye on the forest, and communicate with other towers or outside the National Forest. The tower seems to be in good condition, even where it shows a little decay from the passage of time.  Joel starts to look at the interior as soon as he gets up there. It’s not big, and only has a few tables that are still intact... also, some old instruments that look like they haven’t worked in decades. Wendy tells him that this is an observation tower for the rangers that work in these forests.  In the old times, this whole region was a recreation park; tourists came here with their family to pass the time. She also says that she saw other towers like this in other places of the forest. But almost all of them were either destroyed or in bad shape.

John moves quickly to where the radio is, to check if it’s still working.  Joel continues looking around the place; he sees that some of the windows were replaced with wood plates.  As the windows are broken, the wood mostly blocks the wind, and protects someone from the bad weather if they’re inside.   

Joel moves close to John and Wendy.  “How can this thing work?... I don't see that this place has any electricity,” asks Joel.  Wendy goes to one of the tables and turns on the gas lamp that John left there the last time he was here.

“Oh, that’s the best part -- this thing’s not only easy to repair and use, they also use minimal energy for power.  Can you go to that little locker over there and bring me the car battery?” asks John, pointing out the place to Joel.  Joel goes to the locker and grabs the battery that’s still there and brings it back to John as he’s finishing with the other connection.  He takes the battery from Joel and puts it on the table, close to the radio, and connects the cable that powers up the radio.

“Okay, everything is set, I just need someone to hold the cable.  Joel!... can you do that?” Joel looks at him, giving him the look.  “It’s fine, I don’t even think that it’s going to explode this time.”  Wendy and Joel look at him with a surprised expression and start to move back.  “Hey, it was just a joke!” he says, smiling, then he proceeds to put the switch on, and after a few moments, the radio turns on and lights up.  “See? No problem!... Now do you have the name code and frequency he gave you?”

“Yeah, sure, I have those right here.”  Wendy takes a paper out of her pocket and gives it to John.  “I just hope he’s still using this one.”  _ Or that he’s still alive,  _ she says to herself. 

John puts the code and the frequency in the radio and starts to test it.  And when he sees that everything is working fine, he passes the microphone to Wendy.  “Okay, it’s all ready now. The rest is up to you.”

Wendy takes a deep breath, grabs the microphone, and starts calling him.  She continues with that for a while, while Joel and John move away and continue talking.  John starts to describe the base and all the things he discovered when he was watching the place.  Two hours has passed, but no contact yet. They start to take turns, and sometimes they have to disconnect the battery in order to keep it from overheating.  As the time passes, they start to get tired, but nobody answers the call yet. 

When the sun starts to illuminate the place, Wendy has her head on the table close to the radio, as she was the last one that continued with the transmission.  Joel and John are sleeping on the floor when Wendy starts to hear some sounds coming from the radio.

_ “Grrrrrr… grrrrr… grrrrr… Hello!... is someone there?”  _  says a voice on the radio.  __

Wendy grabs the microphone and presses the button to answer.  “Carlos!... is that you?” asks Wendy, trying to wipe the tiredness out of her eyes.

_ “Hello?... grrrr…. Who is using this frequency?.... Grrrrr… identify yourself!... over.” _

Wendy presses the button to speak again.  “Carlos!... it’s me?” she asks quickly, and feels glad to hear his voice.

_ “Wendy!... grrrr…  is that you?”  _ Carlos answers, surprised.

“Yes!… it’s me… I’m glad to hear your voice… it’s been a long time.”

_ “… Yes, it has… why haven’t you contacted me before?  It’s always a pleasure to hear your voice.”  _  Silence comes over the room, as Wendy doesn't know how to answer that.  

“Sorry about that, but some things happened here and you were busy with your job.  And after all this time, I thought you were dead. And you left me this, to call you if it was an emergency…” she starts talking fast.

Carlos waits until she finishes. _  “…. I was never too busy for…  you... besides, I was… ummmm, out of business for a while.” _

She can feel the red showing on her face, but quickly changes the subject.  “I heard some rumors that you were dead?... I tried to contact you a few times, but couldn’t reach you, and then we had some problems with the radio, and...” She stops for a moment, not sure if she can ask him to come after all this time.

_ “Grrrr… oh, you heard that, ummm… well, I can assure you that I'm very much alive...  who is there with you -- Jacob?”  _ He stops when he doesn’t hear her _ … Are you alright?... you sound a little stressed out,”  _ asks Carlos, a little worried.

“…. I’m fine… but you need to know that Jacob is dead,” Wendy says with some sadness in her voice; she knows that Jacob and Carlos weren’t too close, but they knew each other from before.

After a few minutes, he speaks again. _  “Grrrr…. Fuck!… how did that happen?... Did you get attacked by hunters or infected?”  _ asks Carlos, a little desperate _. _

“I’m sorry… I know that I didn't contact you for a long time, and I feel so bad to call you for this...” she says, a little ashamed.

_ “Grrrr… Wendy!... what’s going on there?... just tell me what happened,”  _ he asks her.

“I’m sorry, Carlos… but we’ve been having some problems with a group of ex-Fireflies.  They are the ones that killed Jacob and others here. They made a base at the old Air military base, the one that is close to the city,” she finally says. 

_ “Grrrr…. Shit!... how long have they been there?” _

“A little more than a year.  Jacob made a deal with them at first, when they came to the town.  But things got worse a few months back, and they killed Jacob, and other people, too.”

_ “Grrrr… Wendy… why didn't you call me right away?... Grrrr…. doesn’t matter now... I will go there as soon as I get the team ready.” _

“Carlos, there’s another thing you need to know… the man in charge… is Walter!” 

_ “Grrrr… WHAT!... The motherfucker that tried to kill you five years ago?... Grrrr... fuck!  I thought the military would have killed him by now… But that doesn’t matter now… I’ll be there as soon as I can, okay?”  _

“Thanks, Carlos, I really appreciate this… And I’m sorry that things had to be this way for us to talk again,” says Wendy with a sad voice.  

_ “…. Grrrr… you don't need to be sorry… all that is not your fault… yeah, I wish that you would’ve been able to call me before all this… but I’m glad that you did now, so don’t worry.  I promised you that I will always be there for you, no matter what… remember?”  _

“Yes, you did… Thank you!” she says with a little smile on her face.

_ “Grrrr…. Hold on a little longer, okay, we’ll be there in a week or less… take care, okay?”  _

“See you soon, Carlos… and thank you, again.” 

_ “Grrrr…. See you soon, Wendy… over and out.”  _

After that, the radio goes silent, and only static can be heard.  Wendy puts the microphone down and turns off the radio, and takes a big breath. 

“That was him?” John’s voice comes from behind her while she jumps a little in the chair.

“Fuck!... you scared the shit out of me,” says Wendy, turning around to see John standing there. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you… So, is he coming or not?” asks the man desperately.  Joel is awake, too, and moves beside John, looking at her. 

Wendy looks at the two men now standing in front of her.  “Yes, that was him, and yes, he is coming... The only problem is that we have to wait a week for that.” 

  
  
  
  
  



	42. A Little Experiment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ex-Fireflies leader and his doctors continue with theirs experiment to try to find a way to use the virus as a weapon. Now por Ellie have to continue sufer the consecuence, but somebody saw the wrong in all that and try to help her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 41 : A Little Experiment**

  
  


***A few days later at the Air base***

  
  
  


After a few days, Ellie starts to feel depressed.  The day he came and showed her the bloody and wrecked shirt, Ellie still didn’t believe him, but he came back the next day and brought her a broken watch.  He told her that that he’d found that in the basement, too, close to the shirt, when he went and checked that place. Ellie recognized the watch as the one Sarah gave him, and she knew that he would never leave that behind.  She had started to cry again. Walter ordered one of his men to remove her bindings and leave her alone. The boy in the other cell tried to talk to her, but she didn’t talk back. After that, the mean doctor that Ellie saw when she woke up came back several times.  He and his assistant injected her with some chemicals that he said would help them fight the virus. At that point, Ellie didn't much care what they did to her. She didn’t even try to escape or resist; she only wanted all of this to end.

 

(The doctor’s office)

“You need to be more patient -- this is something we can’t rush... Walter,” says Owen while he checks some papers on his desk. 

“I think I’ve been patient for the last five years, so don't give me that crap.  We’re running out of time, Owen!... and you said that if we had the girl, everything was going to be easier.  She’s been here for 3 weeks, and I don't see any progress on all this yet,” says Walter while passing in front of Owen’s desk. 

“Yeah, I know what I said, and she’s been really useful, but her immunity has changed, and that is complicating things.”

“What do you mean, changed?”

“Well, I’ve been studying some of the results of the test that I recovered from the hospital in Salt Lake City.  I compared them with the one we did here, and we found that they are not the same… it seems that over the last 5 years, the virus in her system has changed somehow,”  Owen starts to explain. 

Walter stops in front of his desk and looks at him.  “So you’re telling me that her immunity is not going to work?” 

“I’m not saying that… it’s just that now, things are more complicated.  We need to do more tests, because the samples that we were working on with the kid’s immunity, are not going to work with hers.

“Well, that’s great, Owen, yet another setback... So is this going to work or not?” Walter asks, more irritated.

“I think that it’s going to work, but it’s going to take more time.  I don’t know, maybe we’ll get lucky and--” Owen stops when Walter moves close to the desk and hits it with his fist.

“LUCKY?... let me tell you something, Doc, we just received a transmission this morning from another Firefly hideout being destroyed.  And that one was close to this state, so now it’s a matter of time before whoever is doing these attacks finds us.” 

“Why are the military still attacking the Firefly hideouts?... they went into hiding and haven’t done any attacks on the QZ for the past year,” says Owen, standing up and walking close to him.

“The information that I’ve been receiving is that these people are not with the military… or at least, not the regular ones.  It seems like it’s another group, called the freedom fighters or liberators, something like that. Their leader is an ex-military general, and as far as I know now, he is the one that’s been attacking us for the last 3 years,” says Walter, moving away. 

“So you think they know we’re here?” asks Owen with some concern.

“I don't know, but they’re getting close to this place.  So I think that it’s just a matter of time before they find us.  Owen… If we need to fight these people, I need you to work faster on this, before it’s too late.”

Owen exhales a big breath and looks at Walter.  “Okay… I have a new serum that I was going to test in a few days.  So maybe I can test it tomorrow and see how it works. It looks promising, but I can't guarantee anything.” 

“Well, let’s hope this one works out better than the last one.  Like I told you, we’re running out of time. Now do what you need to do to work this out faster, no matter what,” he says to him, then turns around and walks toward the door.  As soon as he gets there, someone knocks on it. He opens the door and sees Martha standing there with some papers in her hand. 

“Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't want to interrupt anything.  I can come back later…” 

“It’s okay, umm… Martha...right?” says Walter, not sure if that’s her name.

“... Yes, umm.. Yes, that’s my name,” she answers, a little nervous.

“Oh, don't worry, I just finished here.  I know that all of you have a lot to do, so I will let you continue with it.”  He looks back at Owen. “I’m not going to take up any more of your time, Doc. I hope that we have better results soon.”  With that, he walks out of the room, passing Martha, who is still at the door.

“Well, that was something…” says Owen, moving back to his desk.  “I’m glad that you’re here. We need to move the new tests up for tomorrow.  So I need you to tell the others to get ready.” Owen sits back and starts looking at some papers.

“Ummmm… About that… I think we need to talk,” says Martha while she walks into the room and closes the door.

“Talk about what?... the last thing I need is more problems,” says Owen, looking at her now. 

“It’s about the girl… I think we have a problem.”

 

( a few hours later)

Ellie is laying on the bed… they still keep her and the boy in the little cell sections of the base.  She hasn’t even touched the food plate they brought her this morning. Martha has come several times and tried to make her eat something for the past few days, but Ellie has been refusing to do it, so they give her some nutrition bars and other things to keep her alive.  And sometimes they even force some of the food on her. She is looking at the watch with some tears in her eyes. She starts to remember the first time they met, and wishes that all this was just a bad dream. 

“Hey… are you there?... ummm, I know you’re… sick?... sometimes talking with someone helps, you know.”  The boy in the next room is trying to talk to her, like he’s been doing for the last few days. But Ellie doesn't say anything; she just stays on the bed, looking at the watch and thinking of Joel:

_ “Ahhhhhh…Stay away from her,” screams Ellie when she tries to cut Joel with her switchblade.  _

_ “Hey, hey...” Tess says while grabbing her by her hand and stopping her before she stabs Joel. _

_ “Let her go!...” says Marlene, trying to stand up. _

_ “You’re recruiting them kind of young, ain’t you?” says Joel, trying to help her up. _

_ “She’s not one of mine…” _

_ Ellie moves close to Marlene and starts to help her up.  “What happened?” _

_ “Don't worry about it -- this is fixable.  I got us some help!” says Marlene, pointing at Joel and Tess.  “But I can't go with you.” _

_ Ellie stays, looking at her. “Then I’ll stay.” _

_ “Ellie!..” Marlene was about to say something else, but Joel interrupts her. _

_ “We’re smuggling her?” Joel asks, surprised. _

_ “Just to the capitol building.  Someone is waiting there,” says Marlene. _

_ Tess moves close to her.  That’s not exactly close…” _

_ “You two are capable.  Just take her there, and the weapons are yours.  Double what Robert owes me,” answers Marlene. _

_ “Speaking of which, where are they?” asks Tess. _

_ “Back in our camp,” answers Marlene. _

_ Tess looks at Joel as he gives her a don't-believe-that-shit look.  “Well, we’re not smuggling shit until I see them.” _

_ “Okay, I will take you there… get patched up.  But she’s not going to that part of the town. You can check the weapons, but I want Joel to watch her.”  _

_ Joel starts to protest, but Ellie speaks first.  “Whoa… I’m not going with him!”  _

_ “Ellie!” _

_ “How do you know them?” Ellie asks. _

_ “I was close to his brother Tommy.  He was someone I can trust, so I can rely on him.”  _

_ “That was before or after he left your militia group?” says Joel, irritated. _

_ “He left you, too... he was a good man,” she says, looking at Ellie now. _

_ Joel is going to protest again, but Tess stops him.  “It’s just cargo, Joel.” _

_ “Marlene!” _

_ “No more talking… You’ll be fine... now go with him,” she says, standing up. _

_ Joel gets close to Tess.  “Don't take long… and you stay close.”  Joel starts to walk out of the room, and Ellie starts to follow him.  “C’mon, let's go!” _

**………..**

_ After that, they cross the street and arrive at one of Joel and Tess’s hideouts.  “This is it!” says Joel, closing the door.  _

_ Ellie starts to look at the place while she sees Joel move and lay on the couch in there.  “What are you doing?” asks Ellie. _

_ “Killing time!” answers Joel with his eyes closed. _

_ “Well, what am I supposed to do?” _

_ “I am sure you will figure that out.” _

_ Ellie walks in front of him.  “Your watch is broken.”  _

**_……..._ **

_ After some time, Joel wakes up and looks at Ellie.  “You mumble in your sleep…” Ellie says from a chair close to the window.  “I hate bad dreams!”  _

_ “Yeah, me too!” Joel moves close to the window and looks outside; it’s raining. _

_ “You know, I’ve never been this close... To the outside… Look how dark it is… can't be any worse out there… can it?” asks Ellie as soon as she moves out of the chair. _

_ “What on earth do the Fireflies want with you?”  And before she can say anything, Tess enters the room, and the three of them start their journey out of that place.  _

**……..**

Ellie starts to pass her finger over the watch while tears fall from her eyes.

_ “Are you giving up so easily?” _

Ellie turns around, looking for where the voice came from.  At first, she thought that it was the boy in the other room.  But then she starts to recognize the voice….  _ Crap… not this again _ . 

_ “You should not do this to yourself.  You need to go on and continue with your life,” the voice starts. _

“Ha,ha,ha… are you fucking kidding me?... WHAT LIFE?... my life is over,” Ellie yells, then turns around to face the wall.

_ “Hey, are you okay in there?” _ asks the boy on the other side. 

“Shit!... now he’s going to think that I’m crazy… but maybe I am, now...” Ellie whispers to herself.

_ “I don't think that you’re crazy,” says the voice. _

“Yeah… says the voice inside my head…” answers Ellie sarcastically.

_ “I’m not just a voice in your head, and you know that.”  _

“Why are you here anyway… I don't need you, so go away.” 

_ “Oh, but I think you do… letting yourself die is not good for you.” _

“I have nothing to live for… so why don’t you... just go away and let me die in peace.”

_ “Sorry… baby girl... but I can’t let you do that.” _

“Don`t call me that… only he calls me that… anyway, how are you going to stop me… you don't even exist, remember?”

_ “I exist as long as you need me… and from what I see, you need me right now…”  _

“I only need Joel… and you’re not him.  And even if I don’t die by myself, they’re going to do it for me.  So leave me alone...” 

_ “You still have people… that love you, and you’re always going to have a piece of him in you… You always wanted to have a purpose in this world, helping people.  Well, this is your chance... you can still do those things.”  _

“Why would I want to do that now?  This world is never going to change.  And without Joel, I don’t want to, anyway,” says Ellie, covering her face with her hands.

“Ellie, are you okay… is someone there with you?” asks the boy again with a worried tone.

_ “What about the boy… he needs you, and you can help him?” _

“Ha, that boy doesn't need my help… they’re probably going to do the same thing to him.  So I don't see the point of that. His dad is dead, so maybe it’s better that way,” Ellie whispers that part so the boy can't hear it.

_ “…. Did this break you that bad?... ummm.  He is just a kid.” _

“Well, you can see inside me, so you tell me.”

_ “Yeah, I can see inside you, and I know that you’re not like this… also, that you’re not alone.”  _

The voice stops, and Ellie sits up and looks around the room.  Trying to figure out what the voice meant by she is ‘not alone.’  She doesn't know what to think, or why the voice came back again? Joel is dead, and this voice is the only thing she’s going to have of him?

 

(The next day)

“Please, Owen, think about this.  We can’t continue with this… this is crazy.”  Martha and Owen are in a room with some electronic instruments.  Ellie is in the room beside them. The wall that separates the two rooms has two-way-mirror glass, just like the ones the police used when they did an interrogation, back in the day.  Ellie was brought there in the morning, and put in a chair with some restraining device. Then they attached some electronic instruments to her head, so that way, they can scan her reaction to the new serum they are going to test on her.  

“I think that we discussed this already.  And I told you that we don't have any choice on this.  The people that have been attacking the Fireflies are going to find us soon, so we need this to survive.”  

“What is the matter with you?... we’re doctors, we can’t do this… this is crossing the line, especially after what I told you yesterday,” says Martha desperately.

“Sorry, but we have to do this.  There is no way back now, when we’re so close.  So stop complaining and do your job.” Owen moves away from her and stands close to the man that is working with the control panel.  “Is everything ready?” he asks the man.

Martha looks at the man in front of her; she can’t believe what this good man has become.  Now she understands that there’s no hope in all of this. They’re taking their life’s work and corrupting it into something else.  Now she needs to think what to do now. “Fine… if you’re going to continue with this, I don't want to be part of it.” Then Martha walks toward the door and leaves the room, slamming the door closed on her way out.  

Owen looks at the door and shakes his head.   _ Oh Martha, I hope you don't do anything stupid, because I can’t help you this time.   _ He changes his sight back to the double mirror and tells the man to send one of his assistants in.

A man enters the room where Ellie is and walks close to her with a syringe in his hand.  Ellie looks at him with curious eyes, then changes her sight to the mirror in front of her, but doesn’t say anything.

_ Proceed!  _  A voice can be heard in the room -- a voice that Ellie recognizes very well now.  The man beside her proceeds to inject her with the chemical substance. Ellie closes her eyes as soon as the needle enters her skin.  Even though it hurts a little, she’s accustomed to that now. But when the chemical starts to react in her system, she can feel a burning sensation inside her.  The man beside her moves away as soon as he sees that she’s pressing her lips together to hold back a scream. That doesn’t last for long as she feels the hard pain inside, and starts to convulse in the chair.

In the other room, Owen is watching everything with interested eyes.  “Are you recording everything?” he asks the man there. 

“Yes, sir!” answers the man quickly.

Owen continues watching, wondering what is going to happen next.  After a few minutes, Ellie stops screaming and moving in the chair.  At first, he thinks that she died, but when he looks at her vitals, he knows that she’s still alive.  He orders his assistant to get out of the room, as phase 2 is going to start. “Let in the two infected,” he tells the man with him.  After that, another door opens, and two infected people start to move in. Ellie is so weak that she can barely move her head… not that she can get out of there anyway.  

She starts to feel some panic when she sees the two infected inside the room.  The infected don’t notice her yet. She starts to think about Joel and how her fate is going to be like his.  But she doesn't get why the doctors are doing this. The mad man told her that they weren’t looking for a cure, but why let her be eaten by some infected?  But as the time passes, the infected don’t move close to her. They’re just moving around the room, sniffing and growling.

Owen is smiling in the other room, watching how all this is playing out. “Send the other subject in,” he says to the man with him.  The man speaks through a radio he has, and the door that his assistant went through opens. Another man is pushed in by guards. The man starts panicking as soon as he sees the two infected in there.  He moves to the door and starts yelling and hitting it in panic, begging the guard to let him out. The infected notice him, but look at him in confusion. They start to move slowly in his direction, but not attacking right away.

_ “Just relax and everything is going to be fine,”  _ Owen says in the other room. 

The men turn around and start to move away from the door as the infected start to get close to him.  Ellie is watching how the man gets into a corner while the infected are getting close to him, but not attacking.   _ What the hell are these people trying to do?   _ she is asking herself.  And after 5 minutes, the infected start to growl and scream louder in front of the man.  The man gets in a panic again and starts to move away quickly... the infected start to follow him, until they corner the man and start to attack him.  He tries to defend himself until he’s bitten by one of them. He screams in pain and pushes one of the infected to the floor, but the other one quickly jumps at him.   

“Shit!” says Owen behind the mirror.  He orders the man to call the guard and terminate the experiment.  A few minutes after that, the door opens again. Two guards enter the room and shoot the infected in the head. Then they move toward the other man there, and grab him; he is holding his arm where the infected bit him.  

“Please, you need to help me -- I don't want to die,” the man starts to plead.

_ “Take him to the others!”   _ Owen’s voice can be heard on the speaker.  The guard starts to move out of the room, taking the man with them.  After that, his assistant enters the room with two more guards, and starts to check the scene... 

_ “Take the girl back to her room and send in the cleaning crew to take care of this mess.” _

 

(One hour later)

“Well, well… I’m really impressed, Doctor.  I heard that your little experiment had some positive results,” says Walter, putting his hands together as he leans forward on his desk.  

“Yeah, it did, even though the effect of the serum didn’t last long on the subject.  But what really intrigued me was why the infected never attacked the girl,” says Owen, sitting in a chair in front of him.

“Well, that’s not going to work for us... If the serum doesn’t last longer, we can’t use it.” 

“Are you kidding me?... this is the best thing we’ve ever done so far.  Look, I know that it needs a little work to get perfected, but that means that it works.  We only need it to last longer, and with a little more time, even permanently. Can you imagine that?  If we make this work, this is going to be the closest thing to a cure,” says Owen, a little excited. 

“Ummm…. that sounds interesting, Doc, but I need to use this as a weapon.  Can you do that?”

“I don’t think you understand this… if this works, we can make our people immune to any infected attack.  Well, I’m not sure if this works with clickers, or other bigger infected. But we can use infected people to attack others, and create our own infected army.  

“That sounds… interesting.  Do you think that that can be done?” 

“Well, if we work hard, maybe I can have some new results in a couple of months.” 

“Months?... you do remember that we’re working against the clock here… right?”

“C’mon, Walter -- we’ve been working on this for more than 4 years.  I think that a couple of months is nothing. The girl’s immunity is helping a lot, but we need more time to do more testing.” 

“Okay, I’ll try to give you more time.  But keep in mind that this new group is looking for us.” 

“Thanks, Walter!.. I think that this time, we’re going to be successful,” says Owen, standing up.

“Well, I hope so,” he tells the doctor as he stands up, too.  Owen is walking toward the door when Walter speaks again. “What about that woman that works with you… ummm Martha, is it?”

“What about her?” says Owen, turning around to look at him.

“I need to know if she’s going to work on this?... because I’ve been hearing things about her… things that are starting to concern me,” says Walter, getting close to him.

“Oh, don't worry about her... after today, I’m going to talk to her and explain how all this can be close to a cure.  And I’m sure that she’ll be happy to help and be part of this.”

“Well, I hope that you’re right.  Because it’s going to be a shame to lose a valued asset now.  Don’t you think?” says Walter, putting one arm around his neck and smiling.

  
  


(At midnight)

Ellie is laying on the bed, still a little tired after the morning experiment.  She’s not sure what these people are trying to do, or what the hell they injected her with.  But something is telling her that it’s not something good.  _ Why didn’t those infected attack me?  And why did they take their time attacking that other man there?  What the hell are they trying to create… some kind of infected repellent or something? _  She is asking herself all kinds of questions.

_ “You need to get out of here, kiddo.’” _

“Fuck!… can you stop doing that?... and please go away -- I’m too tired for this right now,” says Ellie, putting one hand on her face 

_ “Sorry, but you need to listen to me.  As soon as you get a chance to get out of here!... take it.”  _

“I didn't like it when you talked to me before.  Even when Joel was alive, so I'm sure that I don't need to hear you now that Joel is dead.  Hearing you... it just brings me pain, so why don’t you go away and let me be in peace.” 

_ “You need to get out, Ellie… and not only for you…”  _ says the voice before all was silent.

After that, Ellie hears some voices coming from outside her room.  It seems like a person was arguing with someone. But who could it be at this hour of night... well, she doesn't know exactly what time it is because the only clock she has there is Joel’s watch, and it hasn’t worked in years.  But she knows that it’s late by the little moonlight that enters the room. Another thing that Joel taught her that is making her sad now. A few moments later, the voices stop, and the sound of a person hitting the ground can be heard in the room. 

Ellie is a little surprised to hear the sound of a key unlocking the door.  As soon as the door opens, a person enters the room in a hurried way. 

“C’mon, we need to be fast -- before the next group of guards comes here.”  Ellie can see now that the person who entered the room was the woman doctor.  The one that she almost killed the first day she woke up in here. She doesn't know what the woman wants, but it looks like she is trying to get her out of there.  Ellie doesn't know if that’s some kind of trick, but the woman is dragging the guard.

“What do you want?” asks Ellie curiously.

“We need to change our clothes and use the guard ones -- that way, we can get out of here… c’mon, let's go!... I know a way out of here, and we need to go before they find out that we’re gone,” says the woman, dropping the guard’s body close to Ellie’s bed.

“Why do you want to do that -- are you not part of them?... Anyway, I don't have anybody out there anymore,” Ellie says sadly.

“Sorry for all the things I did to you.  I know now that what these people are doing is wrong… I can’t do anything for the others now, but at least I can do something for you three.” 

“What do you mean three?” asks Ellie, looking at her.

“We’re taking the boy with us, too…” Martha is starting to undress.  There’s something you need to know, too. But before that, put on the guard uniform while I take the boy out of his room.”  The woman turns around and walks out of the room when someone gets in front of her. 

“Well, well, well…. I think that Dr. Owen is going to be a little disappointed…”  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	43. Carlos`s Mercenaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Wendy make the call to her friend, Joel start to get desperate. But after the doc convincing to wait for the help, finally this arrive to the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 42 : Carlos`s Mercenaries**

  
  
  
  


After Wendy makes contact with Carlos, they have to stay in the watchtower until nightfall to get back to the town.  John makes a plan to distract the guards, so that way, Wendy and Joel can go back in without anyone noticing them. But before they go in, John tells them that he needs to do a few things and that he’s going to be back in a few days.  

They wait for the week, as Carlos said he was going to be there, but Joel is starting to get frustrated and impatient.  He only has his mind on Ellie and what those motherfuckers are doing to her. John only comes back once, and doesn't say much about any plans he has, but he is glad to see Joel in better condition.  Yeah, if anything good can come of waiting it’s that Joel’s injuries are getting better. The people from the base came to collect the supplies a few days later, after the call was made. But thankfully, no one mentioned the new man that was staying in the clinic.  Of course, she hides him when they come, and makes sure that no one sees him. 

Wendy starts to get worried, as Carlos said that he was going to be there in a week, and it’s been 8 days and he hasn’t showed up yet.  Wendy is starting to think that something could have happened to him on his way. After the seven days passed, Wendy has to convince Joel to not try to get out of town and go there by himself.  But she knows that if Carlos doesn’t arrive soon, she is not going to be able to hold him for long. Even John is getting impatient himself; he wants his son back as much as Joel wants his girl.     

Wendy finishes with a boy that comes to the clinic with a rash.  And as soon as she sends the boy out, she walks to Joel’s room to check on him.  “What are you doing?” she asks him as soon as she enters the room and sees him packing a few things.

“I'm sorry, lady, but I can't wait any longer.  I tried to wait for your friend, but I can't stay here while I know that they’re doing God knows what to Ellie… I need to do something,” says Joel while he continues putting a few things in his backpack.  

“I understand how you feel, but doing this on your own?... it’s not going to end well for you or her.  You need to understand that you can't go there alone… I know that you put your trust in us, and so far we haven’t been able to do much,” she says, walking close to him.

“Sorry... I tried it your way, but this ain’t working for me.  I need to do something before it's too late. But don`t worry about me.  I can take care of myself.” 

“But it’s midday... you can’t just go out like that… at least wait until night.  John said that he was coming here tonight, so maybe you two can talk and--” She stops talking when she hears the emergency siren of the town. 

“What’s that sound?” asks Joel with a worried face. 

“That’s the emergency alarm -- it sounds when something dangerous is getting close to the town.”

“Do you think it’s the Fireflies again?... or infected?” asks Joel, taking his gun out.

“I don't think it’s the Fireflies.  They only come once a month, or if they need something that can't wait that long.  But they came this week, so it can't be them.” 

Wendy’s assistant rushes into the room. “Sorry to interrupt, but we need to be prepared.” 

“What’s going on?... are we under attack?”asks Wendy.

“I don't know, but I heard some people outside.  Saying that the guards on the south gate saw some military vehicles coming this way.”

“Military… vehicles?...  _ shit, it has to be him!...  _ Nancy, stay here and make sure he doesn't get out of the clinic,” she says, moving out of the room.  “All we need is for people to see him out there.” 

“Wait... what’s going on?” asks Joel quickly.

Wendy stops at the door and looks at him.  “I think Carlos is here!... So I need to go there, before Matthew and his men do something stupid.” With that, she runs out of the room.  Joel looks at the nurse. 

“Don't worry, she can handle this,” the young woman says.

 

(at the south gate)

Two military Humvee just arrived at the south gate.  After the two guards there sounded the alarm, more people arrived.  They are pointing their guns at the vehicles and waiting for the first move.

Carlos is getting impatient when one of the guards starts to yell at them.  He’s not surprised at that, since he hasn’t been in this place for a long time.  And if these people are being forced to work with those renegade Fireflies, obviously they don’t want any trouble. 

“We don't need your kind in here.  It’s better for you and your men to go back to your QZ or wherever you came from,” says one of the guards.

“Yeah… We don't need you here… so go away!” says another.

“Ha,ha,ha… Hey, Carlos… I don't think that your old girlfriend’s people like you so much,” says a woman from the back seat of the Humvee.

“Ella tiene razón, no creo que seamos bienvenidos aquí, y eso no me gusta,” says the man that is driving the first Humvee. 

“Solo tranquilícense y no hagan nada.  The last thing we need is to start a confrontation with these people,” says Carlos while he continues looking at the gate, hearing some commotion coming from the other side of the gate.

“What the hell is going on here?... why did you sound the alarm?” asks Matthew as soon as he arrives at the gate.

“There are two military vehicles at the other side of the gate,” says one of the guards. 

“Military?...  _ Fuck!  _ What do they want?”asks Matthew.

“Ummm… we don't know -- they just arrived,” answers another.

“Shit… then why don't you ask them… forget it... just open the door.  I’ll talk to them myself -- just be ready if they try something.” They open a small door that is part of the main gate.  He goes out with 3 more men at his side, well-armed. And as soon as he goes out, the guards on the upper level of the wall start to point at the vehicles.   

“What the fuck do you want here?... this is an independent colony -- we don't need you present in here … we are fine,” says Matthew, but keeps the distance between him and the vehicle.

Carlos just shakes his head as soon as he sees the man.  He turns his head and looks at his men inside the Humvee.  “Solo mantengan la calma, y no hagan nada estúpido. Remember, we are here to help these people, not start a fight with them.”  

“I just feel naked here... why didn’t you let me out a little way back?  So I can use my rifle and keep them cool.”

“Just keep your eyes open, okay?” He looks at both of them and starts to open the door. 

“Oh… no te preocupes jefe, estaremos con los ojos bien abiertos y nuestros dedos en el gatillo,” says the driver while he takes his weapon in hand and checks the magazine.

Carlos gets out of the Humvee and moves to the front of it.  “We just came here to help you... we’re not with the military,” Carlos starts to explain. 

“Help us?... with what?... we didn't ask for any help.  And if you’re not with the military, then who are you?” asks Matthew quickly.

“Well, my name is Carlos, and those are my men.  I was a friend of Jacob’s, and we were invited here.” 

“Invited... by who?... because Jacob is dead?.... I am the new leader here, so since you’re not needed here, you can--” He stops when he hears some protesting and yelling on the other side of the gate. 

“Get out of my way -- I need to get out there now.” A female voice can be heard now.

“No one can go out -- that’s Matthew’s order.  We’re dealing with some people right now, and--” 

“Are you fucking with me?... I know that we have visitors.  So I need to go out, and don't try to stop me... Now MOVE!” says Wendy, pushing the man away from the gate door.

Carlos reclines against the front of the Humvee.  He is smiling at the sight of Wendy pushing her way out the the complex.   _ Fuck!... you didn't change at all,  _ he says to himself.

Matthew turns around and moves in front of her.  “What do you think you’re doing?... I said that no one goes out.  Don't you see that we have a situation here?” he starts.

“We don't have anything…. Because I was the one who called them.”

“WHAT!... you did what?... are you insane?”

“No, but our situation has gone too far, and we need to do something before it's too late.  So why don’t you order your men to open the gate and let them in, before someone outside the town sees them?” 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!... I’m in charge here, so don't you tell me what to do.  I thought that I warned you to stop all this, and here you brought a group of… mercenaries!” says Matthew, more furious now.

Carlos’s smile fades at the scene.  He starts to move away from the Humvee and walk toward them.  “Hey, esa no es manera de hablarle a una dama!... besides, she’s only doing you a favor.”

“What the fuck did you say?... we don't need scum like you here.  You’re just… just going to make things worse, so why don’t you take your men and go away,” says Matthew, pointing in Carlos’s direction. 

With that, all of Carlos’s men start to get out of the Humvee with their weapons in hand. “It’s okay, Carlos, I can take care of this,” says Wendy, looking at him.  “Look, we need to stop them, and we have a better chance here… these people can help us -- just open your eyes.” 

“I have my eyes open, and the only thing I see is our death… Do you really think that... these men are going to make any difference… ummm.  They have an army there, and you know what happened last time you and Jacob tried something like this.” 

“Look, I know that what happened before didn’t end well, but these people are professionals... they can help us.” 

“They're going to get us all killed.  I have people to protect in here... The deal we made with them guarantees that.  But if we try to--”

“Guarantee!... the only thing they guarantee is our death, sooner or later.  They’re already killing us -- every time they come here, they take more and more food.  And it’s making it harder for us to have some for ourselves. How many young men have they taken with them that we never see again… ummm?” She looks at her surroundings and sees how many more people are there now, listening.  That is a good sign, because she needs to make them understand that they need to fight back. “Look, I know that many of you are scared... I get that,” she says, looking at the people that are starting to gather at the gate. “But this is our chance to change things around here... to have the life that we had before.  Before those men arrived here and fucked everything up. So please, just listen to them, and see what they can do to help us.” 

“And how do you want us to fight them!... They took almost all our weapons,” says one of the people there now.

“Yeah, we only have a few for the guards... the rest are just arrows and bows,” says another one.

“I say that we should fight -- my people fight with those, and they win a lot of fights,” says an Indian woman.

“Yeah, let's listen to what they need to say and vote.”

“Yeah, let’s vote!”

“Vote!... Vote!... Vote!” A lot of people start to yell while others just stay silent.  But Wendy’s speech is making people react to the issue at hand. 

“Is this is what you really want?” asks Matthew, more irritated. “Okay, let them in and hear what they’re going to say.  But if you want to continue with this, I’m not going to be responsible for what’s going to happen next.” He gives Wendy a bad look before he starts to walk back inside with some of the people following him.  Other people start to open the gate to let the mercenaries in. 

Carlos walks close to her and smiles.  “Hola chica!... I can't believe they just listen to you like that.   

She looks at him and smiles back.  “They’re good people… they only need motivation, and hope.  I just need to know that you and your men are going to give them that.” She moves close to him and hugs him hard.  

After a few moments, they separate.  “I’m happy to see you, too... That was really something.  I’m just surprised that you’re not in charge of this place… after--”   

“Jacob died?... yeah, a lot of things happened after that.  And I only convinced them to listen. Making them fight, or help us, is another thing.  Most of these people don't have any experience with weapons or fighting. And you’re not going to have much time to teach them.”

“Don't worry about that, we can think of something… you… you look tired,” he says with some concern in his voice. 

“Yeah, these past few weeks have been hard… sorry that we have to meet again like this.  I just wish that your visit here was more... social… you know,” she says with a sad voice.   

“Yeah, me too. I just wish that you called me as soon as this started.  So we could take care of this, before it gets worse.”

“Yeah, me too…”  She looks past him and sees some of his men standing there. “Where is the rest of your unit?” she asks, looking back at him.

“Well, that is a long story, but to make it short, this is what I have left of them.  Two of them are new recruits, so now you can see why I was under the radar. But we can talk about that later,” he says, putting one hand on her shoulder.

“Yeah, it’s better if we go inside and get you and your men out of sight.  We don't know when they could show up here.”

Carlos turns around and signals to them, and tells them to get back to the humvee and move inside the town.  They do as he says, except for one that walks close to them. “Hola doctora, es un placer verla de nuevo,” says Ramon while he takes her hand and kisses the top of it.

Wendy giggles a little at the gesture.  “Es.. un gusto verte… de nuevo, Ramon.” 

“Ohh… veo que has practicado un poco, el espanol and--” he is interrupted when Carlos takes Wendy’s hand away from him. 

“Yeah, yeah… you old smoothie… She looks tired, so why don’t you just go back to the vehicle, and go inside with the others.  We need to start making a plan on what we’re going to do.” 

“Yeah, right…” he says, then looks back at Wendy. “No te preocupes, todavía hay algo de humor en el,” says Ramon, smiling.  

The Humvee starts to move, but one of them stops close to Ramon.  “Hey, asshole, get in and stop your stupid bullshit,” says the woman who is driving now. 

“Sí señorita… eres tan encantadora como siempre,” says Ramon, moving into the vehicle.

“Yeah yeah, whatever... just get in,” she answers him, more irritated than before.  Then she looks at Carlos. “Are you coming, boss?”

“It’s okay… Wendy and I are going to walk in.  Just take the others to the clinic. Ramon knows where it is.  We’ll be there in a short time.” 

“Okay, boss, and you get in and stop looking at the women,” she says, pointing to Ramon.

After that, the two Humvee move inside, and the guards move to close the gates.  Some of the people there start to look at them like they are infected. Others just smile as if they’ve seen some hope at the end of a tunnel.  After a while, Wendy just gets curious about why he wants to walk to the clinic and not get a ride on one of his vehicles. “Okay, what’s wrong?... why do you want to walk to the clinic, when we can go on--” She stops when he looks at her with a sad expression. 

“I just want to have a little time with you, and know how Jacob died.”

“Ohh… I see.  I don't think you’re going to like how.  But I know that you knew him for a long time, so it’s only fair that you know...” They continue their walk until they arrive at the clinic, one hour later.  As soon as both of them enter the clinic, they see that the men are all sitting there, already talking. Even Joel is in a corner there, with an annoyed expression on his face.   

“Okay, guys, we have a lot to do and not much time to do it.  So let’s start with finding a place to make our operations room.  And start to get what we need, like maps, and all the information we can get about these Fireflies,” says Carlos while he gets close to them.

“You can use my house for rest.  I have a few extra rooms that you can use, and after the meeting, we can use the barn… it’s big enough for all of you and your equipment,” answers Wendy. 

“Okay, that is a start, but before that, I think that introductions come first.”  All of them stand up and move to the middle of the room.

“I will do the honors, sir,” one of the men says, and Carlos nods.  “Okay, I know I’m one of the last to join the team, and that we haven't done this for almost a year.  So for me, it’s an honor to do it thi--”

“Oh, shut up -- there’s only 3 people here, so hold that for the town meeting.  Anyway, I'm Angel, the sniper and weapons specialist, and I'm from California. I’m also a new addition to the group. The annoying one is John Lee.  He is the communications expert, and if you haven't noticed, he is Japanese. The big guy is Tank… he don't talk much…  _ but I think that he’s Russian _ ,” she says in a whisper.  “He is an expert in heavy weapons and hand-to-hand combat.  And there is Ramon, our ‘Demolition man.’ If you need to blow something up, he is the man for the job.  I think that all the people here must know him. Carlos is not only our leader and mentor, he is our brother.” She points at the man and smiles.  The other men start to do some gesture, as they agree with her.

“Yeah, thanks to him, some of us are still alive.  He not only does this because it’s a job -- he also does it because he likes to help people,” says Lee.

“Okay, we can leave the rest for the town meeting.  We still need to convince these people to be ready for everything.  Even if they don’t want to fight, they need to be prepared, just in case.  Now I need all of you to get to Wendy’s house and do an inventory of what we have.  We’ll start by checking any maps you have on the area.” 

“Yes, sir!” everyone says at the same time, and they start to move out and follow Carlos’s orders. 

“My assistant will show you where my house is.  Park your vehicles behind the house. People are going to start to get nervous here,” says Wendy, then tells Nancy to go with them.  As they go outside, Wendy moves close to Carlos again. “Come with me... there is someone I want you to meet.” 

Joel is moving back to his room when Wendy tells him to wait, as she gets close to him.  “I know that you don’t like this very much, but we need to work together if we want to stop them.  Now, this is my friend, Carlos... Carlos, this is Joel, the man that I told you about.” 

Carlos extends his hand to Joel.  “Nice to meet you. Wendy told me what happened to you and your girl.”  Joel looks at him, but doesn’t shake his hand. “Yeah... okay,” Carlos says, lowering his hand. “Don't worry, not all people like the military.  But I just wanted to tell you that me and my men only worked for them for a time. We just came here to help Wendy, and make those asshole--”

“Look, I’m never going to trust the military.  But if you came here to help...” He takes a big breath.  “I will accept any help that brings my girl back.” 

Carlos looks at him curiously.  “Si, Wendy me dijo algo de eso también.  Look, I don't know what happened between you and the military, but my team and I don’t work with them anymore.”  

“Yeah, you just did the dirty work for them.  But as that includes taking down the Fireflies, I'm good with that.”

“Nosotros solo hacemos lo que podemos para ayudar a la gente.  But you are right, so why don’t we just work together to get your daughter and this John’s son back.  And make those bastards pay for all this.” 

Joel looks at him. “That sounds good, but just for your information, she is not my daughter.  And all this is not going to change my mind about the military. I’m just doing this because this woman has faith in you, and I can’t get in there alone.” Joel turns around and walks away. 

“Well, eso fue mejor de lo que esperaba... But whatever reason he has to hate the military, it runs deep,” says Carlos to Wendy.

“Sorry about that, he is just worried for… her.  And whatever issue he has with the military, he is going to see in time that you are not part of that.  Now we need to concentrate on saving those kids before Walter does something to them.” 

“No te preocupes los sacaremos de hay.  Speaking of the kids, where is that John that you mentioned?” 

“Oh, yeah... John, he’s not here right now.  But he’s been collecting information about that base that you and your men can use.”

“Oh, that sounds great.  Okay, then I will check on the men and have everything ready.” 

“Yeah, that’s good, I will talk to Joel and see you back at the house. Do you need a map or something?” 

“No, that’s okay -- I called one of the guys and asked him how to get there.  It’s been good to see you again, Wendy.”

“Yeah, likewise,” she says, hugging him again.  After that, she watches Carlos walk out of the clinic.

Wendy walks toward the room where Joel is staying, and finds him going through his backpack. “Look, I know that you told me that you don't like the military.  But Carlos is my friend, and he’s not like them -- he helps people--”

“Yeah, don't worry about that.  Even though I don't like this, Ellie is the most important thing to me.  So I will do all I can to get her out of there,” Joel says in a sad voice.  The military killed his baby girl for no reason at all, and he’s never going to forget that.  But even though this woman is helping him, he’s not going to tell her that.

“Well, Carlos is a good man, and he’s here to help us.  I just hope that in time, you see that, too,” says Wendy with some confidence.

“Well, I don't know about that, but like I said.  I will do anything to get Ellie back and end all this Firefly shit.  I just hope that only 5 men are going to be enough to do the job.” 

“Ha -- said the man that wants to go there by himself… look, he’s good at what he does, and if we get some help from the people here, I think that we have a chance.”  She moves close to him and puts one hand on his shoulder. “Listen, I know you’re worried about Ellie, but if we work together, all this is going to end well. We’re going to wait for John to get here to start planning.  We’re all going to be at my house, getting something to eat, and you’re welcome to come.” 

“Thanks, but I ain’t hungry.  Just let me know when John comes back, okay?  I need to think, so I’ll stay here, if you don't mind.” 

“Yeah, no problem.  I’ll keep a plate for you in case you change your mind.” Then she moves away and walks out of the room.  Joel just stays in the room, thinking on what he needs to do to get Ellie back. And how to kill the motherfucker that’s been chasing them for this long.


	44. The Rescue Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a long wait, and finally the help arrive Joel and the other start to make a plan to attack the base and rescue Ellie and the young kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 43 : The Rescue Plan**

  
  


***Back to the Air base***

  
  


(A day earlier)

“You need to calm down, Owen.  You’re supposed to be working on the new serum, not wasting your time in here trying to--” Walter starts.

“Calm down… calm down!... I don't know what happened last night.  But I don’t know where Martha is, and she didn’t show up at the lab this morning,” says Owen, looking at Walter, who is sitting at his desk. 

“Oh yeah… ummm, about that… I don't think that she’s going back to work any time soon,” says Walter with a calm voice.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?... did you do something to her?” asks Owen. 

“I did what I had to.  She was starting to cause problems, and I can't tolerate that.  So why don’t you get back to work? We’re working against the clock, remember.”  

“Yeah, and that’s the problem -- I need her.  She was the best here…” he says, trying to calm himself.  “So where is she?… did you kill her?” Owen asks desperately.

“No!... but let’s just say that she’s not going to be working with you in the same way she was before,” says Walter with a little smile on his face.

“Jesus, Walter!... what the hell did you do?... did you know that without her, I can't finish the serum?” 

Walter stands up from his chair and hits his desk with his fist.  “What are you talking about?... You have those other doctors. You can use them!”

“Yeah, but they’re just assistants, not chemists, and that’s why I need her.” 

“Well, it’s too late for that now...” He moves away from his desk and starts pacing.  “Well, check if one of them can do the job you need to do.” 

“How?... none of them have the knowledge for this… So unless you have a great chemist under your sleeve, we’re screwed.” 

“Fuck!... we’re so close, we can’t let this stop us now.” 

“Well, you should’ve thought about that before you did whatever you did to her.”

“She betrayed us, so what did you want me to do!... she was going to free the girl and the boy.  So I needed to make sure that she doesn't try to fuck up our job here again.”

“I can try to work with what I have now, but that’s going to take us double the time.”

“We'll find someone that can help you with that… ummm… wait!... what about that doctor that worked in that Pine Hill town?” asks Walter, looking at him.

“Who… Wendy?”

“Yeah, the one you didn't let me kill -- you said that she was good, right?”

“Yeah, but she’s not going to help us, even if you bring her here by force.”

“Well, maybe we can give her a nice motivation to cooperate.  Now, go back to work. I will handle this, okay? I’m going to send a few men tomorrow to bring her here.  We’re going to finish this one way or another.” Owen nods at him and walks out of his office. “Don't worry, Marlene, I’m going to finish this no matter what.”

 

(Later, in another part of the base)

Ellie is laying on the bed, thinking about what happened the night before.  Why that woman wanted to help them. And what she meant by saying that she needed to know something.  After the crazy man went away with the doctor, they didn’t come back to her cell. A guard came in the morning to bring her breakfast that she barely touched.  Her body felt strange... not in much pain, but feeling like something was starting to change in her. She was throwing up this morning for no reason. And those injections they gave her weren’t making her feel better.  Ellie doesn't know what to do, but she only wants this to end soon. She is taken out of her thoughts when a familiar voice is heard through the small window.

_ “Hey!... are you there?” _ asks Jonathan.   _ “I know that you don't like to talk much, but since we’re alone here, maybe we--” _

“Yes, I'm here, kid, but I don't feel good right now, okay?” says Ellie, interrupting him.

_ “Oh, I see… can I ask you a question?” _ says the boy sadly.  _ “Ummm… what happened last night?... I heard a lot of commotion coming from your room...” _

“Ummm… I’m not sure… the woman doctor came to take us out of here.  But the mad man and some guard came and they took her away.” 

_ “Why did she want to do that?... we’re supposed to be here to help them and--”  _

Ellie tries to sit up on the bed, but starts to feel some pain in her head.  “Listen, kid, I don’t want to be rude, but I really don’t want to talk.” 

_ “Sorry… I don't mean to bother you.  It’s just that I’ve been here for so long… and no one comes to talk with me, and I miss my dad…”    _

Ellie goes back down on the bed.  She turns on the bed and faces the wall that divides the two rooms.  “Sorry, kid, I know that you’ve been alone here. I know that it’s hard for you without your dad and all that.  These people should not have done this to you -- you’re just a kid, and-” 

_ “Why are they not supposed to do this to me?... They’re not doing anything wrong… my dad and me want to help them find a cure? _ ” says the boy, more irritated.

Ellie smiles a little to herself.  The boy is so naive that these people are making him believe everything they say.  But she’s not sure if it’s a good idea to tell the boy the truth. “How old are you again?” she asks.

_ “I’m 10!... and I’m old enough to help.  They’re going to help people by finding the cure.  I thought that you were here for the same reason?...  don’t you want to help them?... because I always hear you arguing with the doctors.”  _

“I’m sorry, kid, but all this is more complicated than you think… but don’t listen to me, I’m not going to be here for long.”  Ellie feels bad for not telling him the truth about these people. But telling him that is not going to be good for him right now.  So it’s better for him if he still believes them, so that way, he can stay calm and safe. Ellie turns again and faces the ceiling, putting her arm on her belly.  She doesn't know what to think right now. She wishes that Joel could be there with her; he would know what to do. And that probably was killing everyone in there and getting out.  For some reason that she doesn't get, she starts to feel sick to her stomach again. So she moves quickly out of the bed and goes to the toilet and throws up. After a few minutes, she stands up and moves to the sink, cleaning herself up.  She starts to think that whatever they’ve been injecting her with is making her sick. 

    


***Later that night at the town***

 

After the sunset, Matthew asks the people of the town to come to the old Athletic club building that they now use as a town meeting place.  The place is not big, but since there’s not many people left in town, it works for them. They have a stage with a podium for the meetings, and the rest of the room is full of rusty bent chairs.  Matthew is now standing at the podium, watching people entering the room and sitting. 

Some of them are whispering and asking questions to the next person close to them.  Some seem angry while others look happy that finally someone’s come and wants to do something about the Fireflies problem.  As people continue to enter, Matthew and a few men who are loyal to him are on the left side of the stage. Wendy, Carlos, and a few other people that are with her are on the right side.  As soon as the whole town is inside, except for the ones that are guarding the town, they start asking questions. 

Matthew and Wendy are trying to calm people down, but that’s not so easy.  Joel stays hiding in a backstage room. The door has a glass window, so he’s looking at the situation there.  Seeing this makes him remember the meetings they had back in Jackson. He doesn't like to go to those, either, but Ellie was always convincing him to go to them.  Wendy asked him to be on the stage with her. Now that they’re going to talk about all that, he doesn't need to be hiding anymore. Wendy told him that his experience with the Fireflies could be good in there.  But Joel prefers to keep himself out of all that drama. 

As the meeting continues and the discussion starts to get more heated, Joel is shaking his head, just hearing them arguing in there, and trying to make their point.  He is surprised at how Wendy expresses herself, trying to convince them... like she is a leader or something. Joel looks back when he hears a familiar voice. 

“What’s going on here?...” asks John as soon as he enters the room. 

“Hey… how did you get in here without being seen?” asks Joel, then remembers that he’s been doing this for a long time now.

“Easier than the last time.  The town is all deserted, just a few guards on the wall.  So what’s going on here?” 

“Wendy’s friend arrived this morning with his men.  They’re having a meeting about that... what to do with the Fireflies.”

“Well, that explains a lot, but it’s about time that some people here wanted to do something... So now we can start to make a rescue plan.”  He walks toward the door with the small window and takes a look. “Who’s winning, by the way?” 

Joel moves close to him and starts looking, too. “As far as I can hear, the guy that leads this town is winning.  But Wendy’s been gaining more people since Carlos and his men started talking.”

“Well, that’s good.  I know that some people don’t want to repeat the same thing as Jacob.  But if anyone can convince them to fight back, it’s Wendy. A lot of people died that day, and Wendy was lucky that they didn't kill her, too,” says John, turning away from the door and looking at Joel.

“Well, now we need to wait until this meeting ends.  I just hope that they don’t try to stop us.”

“Ah… don't worry about that, we can talk to this Carlos guy and find the best way to do this.  And if we get some extra help, that’s going to be great. We’re going to make sure that those assholes pay for what they did here.”   

The meeting continues for several hours.  Wendy and Carlos convince some of the people that the best way to get rid of the Fireflies is to attack them.  But the ones with Matthew don’t want to be part of that, because they know that if they lose the battle, the Fireflies are going to come to the town and kill them all.  Carlos tries to let them know that that is not going to happen, even though they couldn’t be sure of that. He also tells them that they brought explosives and weapons to arm part of the town.  At the end, it’s a draw: some people want to help, and others think that it’s better to leave things the way they are now. 

But Wendy tells them that the meeting was for the town to decide whether to fight or not, and since no one won, Carlos and his men are going there and doing what needs to be done.  And if anyone wants to help, they are welcome. After everyone makes their point, people start to leave the center, some going back to work and others just going home. Matthew warns Wendy and the others that if something happens to the people here because of her actions, it’s going to be on her conscience. 

After all the people leave, Wendy and Carlos walk into the back room to talk to Joel, but she is surprised to see John in there, too. “Hey, I‘m glad that you’re back,” she says, moving toward him and hugging him.  As soon as she separates from the hug, she introduces John to Carlos. “John, this is my friend Carlos. Carlos, this is John.” 

Carlos extends his hand and shakes hands with him. “Nice to meet you... Wendy told me what happened to you and your son.  She also told me that you have some intel on that Firefly base.” 

“Nice to meet you, too... Yeah, that is correct, I’ve been checking that place for the last few months, and I can give you all the intel you need.”

“That’s great -- we can use all that,” says Carlos. 

“Well, this has been a long day, and I’m pretty sure that John can use some food and rest.  We all need that, so why don’t all of you come to my house and we can have some of that,” Wendy offers.

“You want me to go there, too?  What if people see me, or him?” says John, pointing at Joel.  

“Don't worry about me -- I’m going back to the clinic and waiting there until we’re going to start with the planning,” says Joel, starting to move away. 

Wendy grabs his arm and stops him. “Nonsense -- you’re coming with us this time.  It doesn't matter what people are going to say now. After today, there’s no going back.  We’re going to stop them no matter what,” says Wendy, dragging Joel out of the room. The rest of the team starts to follow her, and walk out of the room toward her house.

 

(A few hours later)

After they finish eating, Carlos orders his men to move the Humvee inside the barn they have in town.  Carlos and his group starts to put all the information that John gives them in a table that they put in the middle of the barn.  With them is Joel, Wendy, John, and a few other people that joined the group to help. 

“Okay, I’ll give you all the information I’ve collected on them for the past few months.  How many people there are… that can change any time, so this is just an estimate. The defense perimeter, the building they are using in there, vehicles, and even when they go out on trips, and their patrol times,” says John, looking at the papers and maps on the table.

“Well, the information you collected is very good -- we can work with that to make a plan.  But you told me that you already had something in mind, so let’s hear it,” says Carlos, looking at John. 

“Well… yeah, I found a way in, but the only way for that to work is by creating a distraction,” John starts to explain.  “Joel, me, and a few others can use the water drainage pipe that I found on the west part of the base to enter. That is going to take us to the purifying water building that is close to one of the hangars.  That’s where your team comes in, and makes a distraction at the front gate.”

“Ummm… Attacking the main gate is going to be hard, even with the information you gave us,” says Carlos, looking at the drawing that John made of the base.

“Yeah, even if it’s only a distraction, we can’t give you much time doing that.  Do you know if there’s another weak spot that we can use?” asks Lee. 

“No, the only place that is less guarded is the west part, but that’s the way we’re going in.  So the best way to make the guards go to the opposite direction is the main gate,” John explains. 

“Okay, so they have 6 watch towers on the perimeter, a transmitter on the communication tower. The fence is electric and wired with sensors, they also have a few guards patrolling the perimeter, and they’ve reinforced the main gate with a concrete barricade and a double gate.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much the situation.  And remember that they have like 50 or 60 men in there. And I’m not counting the infected they have in one of the buildings,” adds John, looking at Carlos.

“Infected?... why do they have infected people there?” asks Angel. 

“Probably the ones they’ve been using for the experiments they’re doing in there,” says Wendy, entering the conversation.

“Ummm… that could be good or bad for us,” says Carlos, trying to think of something.

“Esto no se ve bien, son demasiados, a un para nosotros,” says Ramon, now looking at the diagram of the base. 

“We need to find a way to distract them before doing something.  Destroying their arsenal and communication has to be our first priority.  Also, cutting the power supply is going to be a good idea, too,” says Angel.  

“Destroying the antenna and the bunker where they put the ammunition is going to be more difficult to do from the outside.  The buildings are too far from the fence to attack them. So the best way to do that is from the inside,” says John.

“Well, I can send Ramon and John Lee with you and Joel.  So that way, they can take care of weapons and the tower while you and Joel rescue the girl and the boy.  But we’re going to need more people to do that,” says Carlos, looking at Wendy. 

“We want to help, too. They took our sons, so if we can talk to them, maybe they can help us from the inside,” says a man that just entered the barn with a few others.

“Well, I’m glad that you want to help, but that’s going to complicate things.  Because we don't have a way to know who they are. And when the shooting starts, we need to kill everyone who shoots at us,” says Carlos, looking at the newcomers.

“That’s why we need to be there -- we know them.  And if they see us there, I know they will help us,” says another one.

“Okay, we’ll talk about that later,” he says to them, then looks at his men.  “Now we’re still down 15 against 60 Firefly soldiers. So we need to make a plan to divide them, so that way, we have a better chance to not get killed.”  All of them go back to the table and continue for a few hours, trying to come up with a strategy that can work. At the end, Carlos sends all of them to get some rest and continue in the morning.  The only ones left are Carlos, Wendy, John, and Joel. Wendy wants to discuss the kids issue without anyone else knowing. 

“Now we need to talk about… Ellie and Jonathan.  It’s better not to talk about them in front of your men or the others -- the less people who know about their condition, the better,” says Wendy, looking at them. 

“It’s okay... I will talk with my men later about that.  We need to discuss this, and the fact that they have infected there,” says Carlos, looking at both Joel and John. 

“I know that I can’t contribute much to this planning.  I don’t know anything about the Firefly base, and the only thing I know about this Walter guy is that he’s been hunting immune people for years.  But I assure you that I’m going to get Ellie out of there alive. And make sure that that motherfucker Walter doesn’t come after us again,” says Joel with all his confidence.  

Wendy moves to Joel’s side and puts one hand on his shoulder.  “I know this is hard for you and John. Thanks for waiting this long -- and our priority is to get them out of there.”  She turns to look at the others. “But you all need to be careful; we don't know what they’ve been doing there. I know that they’ve been using immune people and infected there to do God knows what.  So I suggest that all of you take some gas masks... in case they’ve been trying to make a new virus or something.” 

“We’re going to make sure that Walter and his doctors stop doing more experiments on other people like her or Jonathan,” says Carlos. 

“Yeah,” is the only thing Joel can say, still not sure about the mercenaries.  But right now, they’re the best option to get Ellie back.

Carlos looks at John.  “Do you have any idea where they’re holding them?”

“I’m not sure, but I saw my boy a few times when they took him to a building close to the north hangars.  I saw doctors, too, moving from the main building to that place. So this place is my best guess on where they’re keeping them,” he says, pointing to the place on the map.  

Carlos looks at the base map.  “Okay, Joel and you can go there with the two volunteers and get the kids out.  Lee and Ramon, go to the tower and ammunition bunker, and take care of that. Me and the rest will go to the main gate to draw the Fireflies to that part of the base.  After we get in, we move to the main building and take care of Walter, and destroy anything they’ve been doing in there.” 

“Well, that sounds good... if you get in before they alert the whole base,” says John.   

“Oh, don't worry, we’re going to get in -- we’re not only going to make a distraction, we’re going to make sure that that bastard doesn’t escape again,” says Carlos with some confidence. 

“What do you mean ‘again’?” asks Joel with a serious expression.  

“Do you think that you’re the only one this motherfucker screwed over?... that bastard is responsible for the death of some of my men.  So I’m gonna make sure that that bastard pays for that.” 

“So this is personal for you too, umm… I just hope that you don't screw this up from getting your revenge,” says Joel, looking at him.

“Well, that’s funny coming from you.  Because you want to do the same thing, and even if you still don't trust me, I’m going to make sure he doesn't kill more people.”   

“Okay, okay, guys… I think that we all agree that we want the same thing here.  I’m a doctor, and killing is against my oath, but we need to stop Walter by any means necessary,” says Wendy, moving in between the two men.  

“Yeah, I agree.  When are we going to do this?... because we’re running out of time,” says John.

“It’s better if we get some rest first.  I will talk with my men in the morning. So we can prepare ourselves, and get there by tomorrow night.  Of course, you and the others need to get there by midday, so that way, we can give you time to get in position,” says Carlos, looking at Joel and John.  

“Well, that sounds good.  We can be ready for that tomorrow morning.  So, see you tomorrow... I will go out, but stay close to town, and--” says John, moving away. 

“You don't need to get out now… this is going to end soon, so you and Joel can stay in the clinic and rest, okay?” says Wendy, interrupting him.    

“Okay, so it’s set then -- we’re all going to be back here at 7:00am, to make the final preparation.”  With that, Joel and John walk out and head to the clinic. But Carlos stays there for a moment, still looking at the maps and papers.  Checking all the information again. 

Wendy moves close to him and puts her arm around his shoulder.  “C’mon, you need to rest too.” 

“Yeah, I know... but the only way I’m going to have a good rest is when that bastard is dead,” he says, not looking at her. 

“I know that this is something you need to do, too.  That coming here to help us wasn’t the only reason. But I’m glad that you came, and tomorrow when this is over, I want you to be here to celebrate our freedom.  So please, make sure to do that, and come back alive. Because if you get killed out there, I’m never going to forgive you… okay?” she says, smiling at him.

“Don't worry, milady… I don't have any plans to die any time soon,” he says, smiling back at her.


	45. Things Don’t Always Go the Way We Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Joel and the mercenary start to planed the rescue, but a unwelcome visit is going to change things for them. That going to be for the best?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 44 : Things Don’t Always Go the Way We Want**

  


***Next day in the Air Base***

  
  


Walter is in his office sitting in his chair, waiting for one of his men to arrive.  He is getting a little desperate on that, when the man hasn’t gotten there yet. Walter was a little concerned when he received the news that another Firefly base was destroyed by this new group. It’s not like he cares much after they abandoned him and his men.  But that means that they’re getting close to them, and that presents a problem. He is very disappointed in Owen. He told him that with the girl in their hands, they could make progress faster. But all he’s been getting so far are excuses. Even with the good test they had a few days ago, he didn’t get any guarantee that the serum was going to be ready any time soon.  He starts to look at some papers that Owen had sent to him when he hears a knock on his door. “Enter!... it’s open.” The door opens and a man enters the room.

“Sir!... Sorry for being late, but I had to attend a situation on the east part of the fence.”

“A situation?... where is Richard?… that’s his work, isn’t it?” he asks, looking at the man.

“He left a few days ago with his group... ummm, I thought you knew that... sir,” says the man a little nervously.

“Yeah, yeah… it doesn't matter.  He left you in charge of the security, I presume, right?”

“Yes sir.  He said that he’s coming back at the end of the week,” answers the man.

“Well, in that case, I want you to take a team and go to the… Pine Hills town, and bring me the doctor that works there.  Her name is Wendy.”

“Sir!?... Are you sure about that?... people in there aren’t going to like if we go there and take their doc--” he stops when he sees Walter get furious.

Walter stands up from the chair and looks the man in the eye.  “Are you questioning my order?”

“Oh!..no, no... sir!” answers the man as he starts moving backward.

“Then stop wasting my time, and go there and bring me that woman.  If someone doesn't like that, you know what to do. We’re not going to need them for long now.  So if any of them give you any problems, use any method you need to keep them in line… is that clear?” asks Walter as soon as he gets close to him.

“Ye, yes… Sir... clear… Sir!” answer the man more scary now.

“Good!... then get out of here. I want her here a soon is possible.” then Walter move away from the man and go back to his chair. The man go out of his office as quick as he can.

 

(In another part of the base)

“How do you feel?... the guard told me that you were throwing up yesterday,” asks Owen with some concern in his voice.

“What the fuck do you care?  I’m just a subject to you... So why are you trying to be nice?” says Ellie, irritated.

“On the contrary -- you’re a very important part of my work here.  So I’m very concerned for your well-being. I know that this is a little hard for you, but this is going to be over soon.” He moves a little backwards as soon as he finishes his examination of her.  “Okay, you seem fine, but try to eat more. Maybe that’s the reason why you don't feel so good today.”

“I’m never going to feel good with what you've been doing here.  I don't care about what happens to me anymore. But why do you still need that poor kid in here?... Why don’t you let him go?”

“Oh, sorry, but we can't do that.  We still have some use for him,” he answers while he stands up from his chair.

“So this is never going to end, right?... And what did that lunatic do to the woman doctor that tried to help us… ummm?”

“Oh, yeah… about that.  Well, it was very unfortunate.  She was a very important part of this project, but since she decided to betray us… I'm afraid that she was relieved of her duties,” says Owen with a sad voice.

“Yeah… I bet your boss just killed her.”   _Like he probably did with that poor kid’s dad,_ she says to herself.  “What exactly are you doing here, because I know that you’re not looking for any cure.”

“A cure has many ways to be accomplished, my dear Ellie.  What we’re doing here is going to change the world, so you should be proud to be part of it,” says Owen with a smile on his face.

“Jesus, and I thought that… the fucking leader in here was crazy… but now I think that you are worse.  I don't want to be part of this, so why don’t you let me go or kill me!... At this point, it makes no difference to me,” says Ellie, looking at the man.

“Oh... it’s so sad you’re thinking that.  I know Walter is taking this too personally.  He just wants revenge for what happened to Marlene.  He not only blames you and that old man who killed her, but the military, too. But me, I'm a scientist, and I have hope that the Cordyceps Brain Infection is going to end one day.  I know that people like you are the key for that... we just need to find out how it works.”

“There’s no cure for this.  So why don’t you understand that?  And no matter what you do, nothing is going to change that.”

“Well, it’s so bad that you want to believe that.  But I know that someday, we will. And people like you are going to help me do that.  It’s just a matter of time, and the immune people we can use for that.”

“You are crazy!”

Owen just smiles at her, then calls one of the guards.  “Oh, that is a mistake that humanity always makes. Because people like me are always the ones that make the difference in this world… Now, I need to do another test this afternoon, so I need to inject you with this... guard!... hold her.” The guard moves close to her and grabs her by the arm.  Ellie starts to struggle, but it’s in vain, as she’s still weak. As soon as the guard has Ellie under control, Owen proceeds to inject her with the new serum.

“Nooooo!!!....Ahhhh…. You motherfucker… I hope you rot in hell… Ahhhhh…” Ellie starts to scream and kick, but can’t do anything to stop him.  

_“Hey, what’s going on in there?  Why don’t you leave her in peace… you don't need to hurt her,”_ says the boy from the other side of the wall.  

Owen looks up and sees the little barred hole in the wall.  “This doesn’t concern you, kid!... she isn’t like you. She is so selfish that she doesn’t want to help us find the cure.  She is like the military and those from Fedra -- they just want us to die.”

_“That’s not true -- she’s a good person…”_

Owen moves away after he finishes.  “Stay here and watch her. I will send someone later for her.  And call the maintenance guy, and tell him to put something on that hole in the wall.  I don't want these two to continue talking, is that clear?”

“Yes… sir!” answers the guard, walking away from Ellie.  Owen starts to pass the door when he hears the boy’s voice again.

_“You don't have the right to do this to her.  I’m going to tell my dad about this as soon as he gets back.  And I’m not going to help you anymore, either,”_ says the boy with a furious voice.

After Owen walks out of Ellie’s cell, he stops and moves close to the boy’s cell door.  He opens the small window there, and sees the boy standing in the middle of the room, looking at him. “Oh, boy, I can see that she’s been putting things in your head.  But that doesn’t matter anymore. I have what I need from you. And even though I can find some use for you, she is going to give me more than you ever did.”

“She was right -- you’re bad people, but when my father comes back here, he--”

“Your father isn’t going to do anything… because if you want to know… your father is dead!” He sees the expression on the boy’s face and smiles, then he closes the window and walks away.

  


***The same morning in the town***

 

  
  
Joel wakes up early in the morning.  He tried to get some sleep, but he can’t.  The day has finally come to get Ellie back.  He’s been here, waiting for almost a month, just to do that.  If something good comes from the wait, it’s that his wound is almost healed.  The arm still gives him some problems, but he can move more now. After he changes, he grabs his backpack and guns, and walks out of the room that he’s been sleeping in since they brought him here.  As soon as he gets to the lobby of the clinic, he sees that John and Wendy are there talking, so he starts to walk toward them. “Hey, I thought we’re going to the barn early,” says Joel as soon as he gets close to them.

“Hey, good morning to you, too!... Wendy just came, and Carlos wants to discuss some things with his men first.  So he told us to wait an hour before going there.”

“Well, I'm ready to go, so let's move.” Joel starts to walk out of the building while Wendy and John start to follow him.  The three of them walk down the street toward the barn. As some of the people look at them with curiosity, others look at them with disgusted expressions, like they have the plague or something.  As soon as they get there, Carlos and his men are talking there already.

“What do you think this is?  They look like houses over there, and they are close to the west fence, too,” says Angel, looking at the map of the city.

“Well, that looks like a good spot for you... that part faces the main landing track, and the building.  Do you think that you can cover us from there?” asks Carlos.

“Sure, if I find a house that is close enough… sure I can, no problem,” she answers.

“What about this part -- they have a lot of houses there too, but looks like that is part of the base,” says Lee.

“That’s because it was,” says John as soon as they enter the barn and get close to the table.

“Well, this base is really big, so how can they keep it all guarded with only 60 men?” asks Carlos.

“Because they cut that part of the base when they arrived there, I think.  They’re only using the buildings that are close to the landing track. So they moved the fence to leave out that part where the little military town was,” John explains.

“Well, that can be good for us… maybe we can get inside from there,” says Lee.

“I don't think so.  They mined that whole area when some infected tried to enter that way.  And because it had too many buildings in that part -- they do more patrol there, too,” says John, pointing to the map.

“And how do you know all that?” asks Joel, getting close to the table now.

John looks at him.  “Because I saw them when they started to put the mines in there.  And--” John is going to add something more when the barn door opens violently.

“What the hell are you all doing?” comes a voice from the entrance.

“Matthew!... what are you doing here?  I thought you said that you don’t want to be involved in this,” says Wendy, turning around to see him enter the barn with a few other people behind him.

“Yes, and I still don’t, like some other people of this town.  I think we left that clear in the meeting… you and these people are just going to bring disaster to this town.  If people here don’t want to be involved, why don’t you have some of your men distributing guns to some people here?” says Matthew, pointing to Carlos.

Joel moves and stands in front of them.  “Look, pal, if you don't want to fight, or the rest of the cowards that live here, that is your problem.  But the ones that want to make a difference and defend themselves need to be prepared. So why don’t you and your men get out of our way before you have more--” Joel stops when Wendy moves beside him and puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Joel!... you’re not helping, so please let me handle this, okay?” says Wendy in a calm voice, but putting herself between Joel and Matthew.

“We don't care what you do outside of this town.  But since all of you are not part of this town, you better leave before you get us all killed,” says Matthew with a furious tone.

“They’re going to come here no matter what, so it’s--” starts Carlos, but stops when his radio starts to make some noise.

_Rrrggg… “Carlos, are you there?... rrrggg… over,”_ says a voice on the radio.

“Scott!... is everything okay?... over,” answers Carlos.

_Rrrggg… “No!  Boss… I think you’re going to have some company very soon”… rrrggg._

“What do you mean?... over.”

_Rrrggg… “I just saw two vehicles heading to your position: one pickup and a small cargo truck… Over.”_

“How long?” asks Carlos.

_Rrrggg… “you have like 30 minutes…” rrrggg… “I guess… over.”_

“Fuck!... this is going to complicate things…” Carlos says, lowering his radio.

“What’s going on -- who was that?” asks John, looking at him.

“Ummm… that was Scott, he’s my scout.  I left him close to the base, so that way, he can call me if he sees any movement from the base toward here,” Carlos explains.

“You have another man out there?... why didn’t you tell me?” asks Wendy, looking at him, a little surprised.

“Sorry, it was just a precaution, in case we found any problem in here.”

_Rrrggg… “Hey boss, what are my orders?... over.”_

Carlos looks at the people there before he answers on the radio again.  “Just hold your position and let me know if they send more this way. I will call you back later… over and out.”

_Rrrggg… “okay, boss… over and out.”_ With that, the radio goes silent.

“Do you see!... the Fireflies are coming this way now… and as soon as they know you are here, they are going to kill us all.  This is all your fault. Are you happy now!” says Matthew, pointing at Wendy.

Carlos moves from the table and looks at him.  “You need to calm down... we don't know why they’re coming here, but my men and I can handle this, okay?”  

“Fuck you!... this is all your fault, and hers… But this is something I can fix...”

“What do you mean by that?” asks Wendy quickly, moving toward him.

“Stay back, you stupid bitch!... I did all I can to keep these people safe, and you’ve ruined that.  But now I’m going to make sure that everyone is again, no matter what. So when they get here, I’m going to make a new deal with them.”

“What!... are you crazy?... they--” she stops when he pulls out a gun from his back and points at her. “Whoa, whoa!... Matthew, you need to calm down... there’s no logic in this... I know you are scared, and only want to--”

“I said stay back… and nobody move, or I’m going to--...” the man stops talking when Joel moves close to him and punches him in the face, and the man falls down unconscious.  

He looks at everyone there, their mouths agape.  “What!... he is an asshole that talks too much,” says Joel, looking at them.

“Fuck!... I like this man already,” says Angel from the other side of the table.  

Joel kneels beside him, takes the gun out of his hand, and looks at the other people that came with him.  “Now, any one of you want to do something?... because right now, I ain’t in the mood for this shit,” says Joel, pointing the gun at them.  They put their hands up and shake their heads. “Good -- now tie him up and make sure he don't talk anymore.”

“Okay... that was interesting.  But now we don't have much time before the Fireflies get here, so we need to move now.  Angel, go and tell Tank and Ramon about the new situation. Then go and take a position close to the gate.”

“Yes sir!” she answers.  She takes her gun and starts to walk out of the barn.

Wendy walks close to Carlos. “What are we going to do?... people are going to get scared, and if one of them talks...”

“Do you know why they’re coming here now?” asks Carlos.

“No, they came last week to collect the supplies they took from us.  So they’re not supposed to come back here until next month.”

Joel moves close to them, too.  “Maybe this asshole called them.  He says that he wants to make a new deal with them,” says Joel, putting the gun on the table.

“That’s impossible -- we don't have any radio inside the town,” answers Wendy quickly.

“That doesn’t matter now.  Whatever the reason they have to come here now, we need to take them down before they have the chance to report back to their base,” says Carlos, getting back to the table.

“So what is the plan?” asks Joel.

“The best way to play this is let them in.  And for that, I’m going to need your help,” he says, looking at Wendy with a smirk on his face.

 

( 30 minutes later)

“Is everyone in position?” asks Carlos on the radio.  One by one, his men start to answer and let him know that they are ready.  Even Joel is ready to take out some Firefly men. “Okay then, just follow the plan and everything is going to be fine.”

After a few minutes, the guards on the gate can see the vehicles approaching the main gate. “Here they come,” says Lee, looking at them from his position.

The two vehicles stop at the gate, and one of the men gets out.  “Open the gate -- we’re here on urgent business from our boss, so let us in,” he says to one of the gate guards.  “And call your leader... I need to talk with him… now!” says the man, moving inside the vehicle again.

The two men on the gate look at each other, but order the gatekeeper to open it.  They’ve already been ordered to open it as soon as the Firefly men arrive at the gate.  As soon as the gate is open, they proceed to enter. As the vehicles pass the entrance, they stop when they see a few people standing in the middle of the street, waiting for them.  The leader of the group orders his men to get out of the vehicle with their guns in hand.

“Hey, boss, do you copy…?” asks Angel from her position on one of the rooftops.

_Rrrggg… “Yeah, I’m here, what is the situation over there?”_ says Carlos from his position.  He is waiting inside a building, looking at the street where Wendy is meeting the Fireflies.   

“They’re starting to get out, with guns in their hands.”

_Rrrggg… “Okay... how many?”_ asks Carlos.

“There are 4 in the pickup, but only 3 are getting out… the driver’s staying in.  And in the truck, the driver’s also staying inside, and 4 more men are getting out, too.  The ones from the truck are getting in position around the vehicle, and they left the engine running.  So I assume that they came in a hurry, or are expecting something, because they look ready for battle.”

_Rrrggg… “Shit!... they must suspect that something is odd here.  Maybe that’s why they came back here so quick -- or that stupid guy did call them and let them know we are here… Okay, I will tell the others to be alert when we all start to take out the drivers first… okay?”_

“Okay, boss, I’m ready,” answers Angel.

Joel is inside a house on the other side of the street where the vehicles stopped.  He sees the three men walking toward the doctor. He is starting to get impatient; the Fireflies are acting strange... like they know something, or are here looking for someone.  He gets his gun ready.

Wendy moves forward a little to meet the supposed leader of the group.  “Welcome to Pine Hill. What can I do for you, gentlemen?” she says as soon as the men get close to her.

“We’re here for a pick up, so where is your leader?” asks the man in charge.

“Pick up?... you people came here last week for that, so why are you coming again?” asks Wendy, looking at the man.

“That’s none of your business, so go and call the man in charge here… NOW!”

“My name is Wendy and I’m in charge here for the moment.  Matthew is a little indisposed today, so if you need--”

“So you’re the doctor here, right?”

“Yes… I am…. Umm, do any of your men need medical attention?” asks Wendy curiously.

“No!... but we have orders to take you back to our base, so start moving... now.” The man moves close to her and tries to grab her arm, but she moves away.

“What!” she says in surprise.

One of the men behind her moves beside her.  “You can’t do that -- she is the only doctor we have here.”

The leader starts to move close to her again while two men behind him point their guns at the people behind her.  “I don't care what you think. We have orders to take her with us, and since she is already here… you’re coming with us now.” He is going to grab her arm again when the man beside her pushes her aside.    

“You’re not taking her, you moth-- ugh.” The man falls to his knees when the leader hits him in the stomach with his rifle.

His man starts to move closer.  “We take what we want, and if anyone else tries anything, we’re going to start shooting -- is that clear?” says the man, grabbing Wendy by the arm.

“Boss, we have a situation here -- I think they came for your friend,” says Angel, looking at them.

_Rrrggg… “Fuck!... hold your position -- we can’t start shooting with all those civilians there.”_

“So what do we do?  Are we going to-- wait, I see someone getting out from one of the houses.” Angel moves her rifle to see who it is.

Joel walks out of the house he was hiding in and moves toward the leader of the group.  “Hey, asshole, why don’t you leave these people in peace!” says Joel.

Some of the men turn to look at him. “And who the fuck are you?” asks the leader, now looking at him.

“The one you should not fuck with,” answers Joel with a grin on his face.

“Well, we can take care of that… shoot him!” The Firefly soldiers turn toward Joel, and as soon as they start shooting, Joel moves and takes cover.  He smiles, knowing that his plan worked: the men were distracted enough that they didn't notice that Wendy and the others started to run for cover.

“Boss, it’s the old man -- he’s distracting the soldiers.”

_Rrrggg… “Good -- take them out!”_

“On it!” Angel starts to look for her target and… boom!   _“One down… now the other one,_ ” she says to herself.

“What the fuck!?” The leader runs for cover as some people start to shoot at them from some of the houses.

He gets to the side of one of the vehicles.  “They’re shooting at us. But how -- they’re not supposed to have guns-- Arghhh!” the man goes down after he gets shot.

“It’s an ambush -- everyone, go back to the vehicles… NOW!” screams one of the Firefly soldiers.  He starts to move toward the pickup when another of his men gets shot beside him. Carlos orders his men to open fire as soon as the civilians are out of the way.  The shooting on both sides continues, but after 10 minutes, it’s all over. Carlos and his men get close to the vehicles where all the Firefly men are laying on the ground, dead.  Some of the civilians got shot, but no one died, and Carlos is happy for that. Wendy moves to attend the wounded, and calls for the nurse to come help her. Other people start to come out of their houses after everything is over to see what just happened.  

Carlos walks close to Wendy and sees if she is fine.  “Are you okay?” She looks at him and nods, then continues attending the people that got shot.  Carlos starts to look at the dead Fireflies. “Do you know why they wanted to take you with them?” asks Carlos.

Wendy stands up as she finishes with the one she was helping.  “I don't know... they didn't say anything. And I don't think this is going to help us.  If they sent these men for me, more are going to come as soon as they don’t report back.”

“Don't worry -- I’ll think of something before that happens.  But for now, it’s better to continue with our plan,” says Carlos, looking around.

Joel moves close to the Fireflies’ bodies and checks if any of them are still alive.  As he continues, he finds one in the back of the truck. “Hey, I found one who’s still alive back here,” yells Joel, moving close to the man.  “Okay, asshole, why did you come here to take the doc… ummm?”

“Shit, it hurts!... you all are going… to pay for-- this,” says the man in pain.

“It’s going to hurt more if you don't talk…” says Joel, grabbing the man by his shirt.  “Now you better tell me what you people did with the girl you have on your base?” asks Joel while he pulls the man’s face close to his.

“I don't know… what you’re… talking about.  We only came here... for the doctor,” answers the man.

“Why?” asks Carlos from behind Joel.

“I don't know… We only follow… ooorderrrr…” the man finishes with his last breath.

“Yeah… you always follow orders… Now where is the girl?” Joel is going to hit the man, but stops when he sees that the man is already dead.   

Wendy walks close to him.  “How is he?... did he say anything?” she asks while checking him.

“He is dead, and didn’t say much.  Just that they have orders to take you.  But I’m sure that all this has to do with Ellie and the boy.  So we need to get them out before it’s too late,” says Joel, jumping out of the back of the truck.

“What are we going to do now, boss?... after this, they’re going to send more,” says Angel after she arrives there.

Carlos starts to move around, trying to think of something.  He knows that Angel is right; this is going to complicate things.  But then he stops and thinks that maybe they can use this for their benefit.  He looks at the others with a smile on his face. “I think I found a better way to get in!”  

  



	46. Payback's a bitch! - Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally Joel and the other make a plan to infiltrating the ex-fireflies base. so now the confrontation with them and Carlos's mercenaries is going to start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 45 : Payback's a bitch! - Part 1**

  
  


***A few hours later on the road***

  
  
  


Carlos is sitting in the driver’s seat of the Fireflies’ truck, parking on the side of the road, waiting for a call.  After the fight with the Fireflies in town ended, Carlos came up with the idea of using the Firefly vehicles and uniforms to get inside the base.  But before that, he allowed more time for Joel’s group and Angel’s to get into position. They also picked up Scott on the way to the base so he can help on the mission, too.

“Are you sure that this is going to work?... what if they see that your people are not the one they sent for me?” asks Wendy from the passenger seat. 

“Don`t worry -- it’s going to work.  I know these people, and many of them don’t even know each other that well.”

“Oh, so you think that they’re dumb enough not to recognize their own people?” asks Wendy, looking at his face with a grin. 

“Well… yeah, I think that.  But anyway, I told you that this was going to be dangerous, so I don’t know why you insist on coming with us.”  

“Because this is the best way for them to believe that you’re their men.  They were sent for me, and if you go there without me, all this isn’t going to work... well, I hope,” she says, smiling.  

“I still don’t like it.  If something happens to you, I’ll never--” he stops when she puts one hand on his.  He looks at her with some worry in his face. 

“Look, this was my decision, okay?  I brought you into this, and you came even though you didn’t have to.  So the least I can do is help you out.” 

“Just promise me one thing,” says Carlos, looking her directly in the eye.

“Lo que quieras... chico!” she answers, looking at him.

“Jesus... I have so many things I want to tell you... But promise me that if something goes wrong--” 

_ Grrrggg… “Hey, boss, I’m in position now... I can see part of the main building from here.  But not enough to take any shots.” _

Carlos takes the radio and presses the speak button.  “Can you see any activity there?” 

_ Grrrggg… “Not much... things look normal, I guess…”  _ answers Angel.

“Good -- we only need to get the call from Ramon and the others.  I hope they are in position, too, because this is taking too long.” Then he puts the radio back on his side.

“I just hope that everything goes fine,” says Wendy, looking at the road in front of them.

“It will work… It will work,” he says with some confidence.

 

(on the west part, outside the base)

Joel and the others arrive at the water and sewer system that is going to get them into the base.  The group consists of Joel, John, Ramon, Lee, and 2 more volunteers that insisted on coming with them to help.  Before they go into the tunnel, Ramon calls Carlos and tells him that they are about to get into the tunnel, and they’re going to need 30 more minutes before he proceeds to the gate.  After that, they go in. 

“Hey, are you sure they don’t have any security in here, or guards?” asks Joel while walking behind John.

“Yeah, I’m sure.  I’ve never seen them work on this, or any guards enter the building that is at the end of this.  These pipes are also connected with the water supply to the housing complex on the other side of the base,” answers John.

“We’ll be walking like 15 minutes.  And the smell isn’t great down here,” says one of the volunteers.

“Well, this is a sewer, so what do you expect--” answers Joel, looking back at the man, but stopping when he hears something ahead.  “Did any of you hear that?”

All of them stop and look at each other.  “That sounds like someone moaning!” says John while he moves close to Joel.

“That don’t sound good,” says Joel, moving slower at the intersection of the tunnel.  He kneels down as soon as he gets to a corner and takes a peek. “Fuck!... now I know why they don't put any security in here,” says Joel while he’s still looking.

Some of the others get close and look at the tunnel where Joel is looking.  “Shit -- so what do we do now?” asks John as soon as he sees a few infected moving in there. 

“We can’t use our guns, that’s for sure.  We don't need to attract more of them or have any guards close to here hearing the gunshots,” says Lee as he moves away from them.

 “Is there any other way around?” asks Joel, looking at John.

John looks again at the tunnel and points to a ladder that is a few feet beyond the infected.  “The exit is up there. And this is the only way to get up into the base,” he says, moving back again.    

“Well, they are only 4, so I think that we can move close to them quietly and kill them with our knives.  So that way, we can kill them without making too much sound,” Joel says to them.

“That sounds good to me,” answers John.  

“You two wait here -- we can handle this,” says Lee, pointing to the town man that came with them.

Joel and the others take their knives out and proceed to get close to the infected.  As the place is pretty dark, they don’t seem to notice them. Joel grabs the first one by his back and stabs the man in the neck.  He moves the knife in until the infected stops struggling. The others do something similar to the others until the 4 infected are dead.   

John leads the way until they arrive at the ladder and start to climb up.  They all get into a small building with pipes and other mechanical things. They need to make sure that no one is in there or close by, so John moves to one of the windows and takes a look.  After he gives them the signal, the others come close to him. “Okay, the tower and ammunition buildings are that way. So I guess that some of the guards are going to move away as soon as the distraction starts,” says John, looking at Lee and Ramon.    


“Okay, that sounds good,” says Lee.  “Now we’re going to divide into 2 groups: Joel, John, and… what is your name again?” he asks one of the extra men.

“Clayton!...” answers the one that Lee is pointing to. 

“Right… Clayton.  Okay, you three are going to the small building and looking for the kids while me, Ramon, and Ray here go to the ammunition bunker and the communication tower.  We’re going to take the explosives we have and blow that place up. Do any of you have any questions?” Since no one answers, he and Ramon start to get ready to move out of the place. Lee opens the door slowly and sees that there’s no guard close to the place.  He looks back to the others and wishes them good luck before they move out of the building in the direction of the hangar building.

Joel and the others move close to the door and open it again.  They look to the opposite position and see the small building in the distance.  “They said to wait for Carlos to start the attack, but how are we going to know that?” asks Joel.

“Well, I think that we know when the gunshots start and the guards start to move away,” answers John.  “Now, if we find them there, we bring them back here and make sure that they get out of the base, and let Wendy’s friend do the rest,” says John, looking at Joel.

Joel doesn't answer him back, because no matter what, he is going to make sure that this Walter guy doesn’t come after them again.  Since they are using the Fireflies’ uniforms, it’s easier to move about without attracting too much attention, so they start to move out and go in the direction of the small building.

 

(A few minutes later at the base gate)

Carlos and his group arrive at the gate.  He is driving the truck in front; the pickup is behind him. As one of the gate guards starts to approach them, they try to hide their faces the best they can. The guard comes and stands at the truck door and starts to look at him.  As he predicted, the guard only knows the man in charge, so he looks at him suspiciously. 

After a few moments, the guard starts to speak.  “Hey, you’re late. You were supposed to be here a few hours ago.  We’ve received a few calls from the boss asking if you arrived yet,” says the man, trying to figure out if he was the man that was driving when they left. 

“Well, sorry about that.  But we ran into some trouble on the way back and we had to stop.” 

“Really!... what kind of trouble?” asks the man.

“Infected!... they blocked the road and we had to fight them,” answers Carlos, continuing with the charade. 

“Infected ummm!… You’re not the driver from before... where is Williams?” asks the guard, indicating to the others to move close.  There are only 4 guards on the gate, and two more on the tower that are close to the gate. But they still have two heavy guns, mounted on both sides of the entrance, that are going to be hard to take down.  Not to mention the reinforced gate. 

“He’s in the back of the truck -- he was injured during the fight, and--” Carlos starts but gets interrupted. 

“Hey, I'm the doctor you sent for.  You people said that your boss wanted to see me.  So why are we wasting time here?” says Wendy quickly, just to make the guard distracted and take his attention from Carlos. 

The man looks at her for a moment.  “So you are the doctor from the town… ummm.”

“Yes, I’m not sure what your boss wants with me.  But the faster this goes, the better. I don't like to leave my people without--”

“I don't care what you think, woman.  And you -- I need to check all of you before--” he stops when another guard comes close to him.

“Sir, we have another call from the tower, asking if the team has come back yet.”

“Shit!... What is the hurry with these people?  Okay, tell him that they just arrived and that we need to make sure that no one is infected.” The man walks inside the security booth.  “Now we need for all you men to get out of the vehicle so we can make sure that none of you are infected.” Carlos knows that if they do that, there’s no way they can go inside.  He needs for them to at least open the gate. 

He looks at Wendy and gives her the signal to be ready.  “I don't think that’s necessary... we’re already late and--”  

“I don't care what your opinion is, soldier, we--” he stops again.

“Sir, they said to let them in quickly.  That the boss is asking furiously about her and that he wants the doctor in the main building as soon as possible,” says the young soldier again.

“Shit!... okay, fine.” He shakes his head in disappointment.  He looks at the two men at the gate. “Open the gate!” Then he points to one of the guards that was with him.  “And you -- go with them, and make sure that they go to the quarantine building after they leave the woman in the main building.” As he gives the orders, the other two guards open the gate, and the third one moves toward the pickup and jumps in.

As soon as the gate is open, Carlos puts the truck in drive and starts to move in.  The two vehicles are moving on the main road that leads to the airport tracks and hangar.  Even though the Fireflies cut half of the base, the place is still huge. John tells them that they’re only using the aircraft hangars in the middle because most of the others are already in decay or in bad condition.  They continue on the road, and as they are getting close to the air track gate, the guard that jumped in starts to ask questions. And after a few minutes, he notices that some of the uniforms have holes and blood on them.   

“Hey, why do you have blood on your uniform?” asks the man.

“Ummm… what!” says one of the citizens of the town that came with them.  

“Your uniforms have holes and blood on them...”

“We were fighting infected back there,” answers Scott, looking at the man suspiciously. 

The man starts to look at them with more intensity while he moves his hand close to his gun.  “Yeah, the driver said that, but as far as I know, infected people don't shoot back.” 

A minute later, a gunshot is heard in the back of the pickup.  The guards of the gate make a sign for them to stop, but Carlos just accelerates the truck.  The guards jump aside before Carlos plows through the guard post and destroys it. The guards stand up quickly and start shooting at them, but the vehicles are already ahead of them.  One of the guards takes out his radio and starts to call. Carlos continues until he arrives at the first bunch of buildings, and stops the truck in front of one. He orders the men to get out of the vehicles and continue with the plan. 

He takes out his handgun and gives it to Wendy.  “Okay, they’re probably calling the tower and telling them about us.  This is the part where things start to get ugly, so take this and stay close to me, until I find a good place for you to hide,” he tells her before the rest of the men start to get close to them.

On the other side of the base, Joel and John are hiding on the side of one of the hangars.  That place is close to the small building where they think that Ellie and John’s boy are. They are watching the guards who are at the front door.  When they start to hear the sound of a siren, they start to see a few Firefly soldiers running in the direction of the gate. John has let Joel take the command, as he has more experience.  Joel looks at the other two. “The siren went on, so that means that Carlos’s men are inside. Now some of the guards in this area are moving out, so that means that the distraction is working… the coast is clear -- let's go,” says Joel to the other two.  They leave the place and start to move cautiously behind some trash cans and other things there. After a few minutes, they get close to the small building, but there’s still two guards in front of the door, and they don't know how many are inside. So they stay put and wait for Carlos’s men to do their part.

 

(Inside the main building)

Owen is in the control room, looking at Ellie through the two way mirror glass.  Ellie is tied up again in the same chair as before. Her mind start to ramble with different things by the effect of the new drug that Owen used on her, so her resistance is almost none.  Owen is going to do a new test on her, using a new version of the serum he used before. Lucky for him, that was finished before the incident with Martha. He gives the syringe to one of his assistants and sends him to the other room where Ellie is. When the man leaves, a new person enters the control room. 

“I hope that this works this time, Owen!... The time and my patience are running out.  So it’s better if this one works better than the last one!” says Walter as soon as he gets close to him.

“This is a new version -- it was almost finished before you made the choice to get rid of Martha.  This one is a more concentrated dose. So I’m hoping that this one makes the effect last longer.” 

“Well, I hope you’re right.  And you don't need to worry about your new doctor.  I just received the news that the team that went for her has returned,” says Walter, looking at Ellie on the other side. 

“Oh, that’s great.  Now we need to think about how to convince her to work with us,” says Owen, smiling.

“Oh, don't worry about that.  She’s being brought here right now, so as soon as you finish here, I want you to start working with her,” says Walter, moving away from the glass and looking at him.

“That fast?... How are you going to make her cooperate with all this?... as I recall, she doesn’t want to be part of this anymore.”  

“Ahhhh, just leave that to me -- don't worry about it.  I will make her understand our situation here. Oh, better... hers!  Now are you sure this is not going to kill the girl? I don't want to lose our only way-- ” 

“Don't worry, this is not going to--” Owen is interrupted by a little tremor in the building. “What the hell was that?” he asks quickly, looking at Walter.

“I don't know.  But that feels like--” he stops when he hears his radio come alive.

_ Grrrggg… “Sir, do you copy?”  _

“Yes… what the hell is going on out there?” asks Walter furiously.

_ Grrrggg… “Sir… we are under--”.... Grrrggg _ . The communication ends abruptly as they feel another tremor in the building. 

“What’s going on?” asks Owen, looking at him.

“I’m not sure, but I’m going to find out -- you stay here.  I will send a few guards in here just in case.” Walter runs to the door and leaves the room, leaving Owen alone with the computer guy. 

“Shit!...” Owen moves close to the mirror and looks at Ellie.  His assistant is already inside the room with her. “Okay, if this is what I think it is, we need to get out of here as soon as we can.  Stay here and watch the girl. I need to go to my office and secure all my research.” He walks toward the door, but turns and looks at the guy.  “When the guards come, tell them to get the girl to a secure place and wait for me -- do you understand?” The guy nods, so Owen opens the door and leaves.

The man looks at the door as soon as it closes.  “Yes sir,” he says, looking at the other room now.

 

(outside)

Joel and John are a little surprised when they see the control tower fall to the ground in the second explosion.  They’re also hearing some shooting on the other side of the base. So their plan is working for now. 

Joel saw one of the guards start running in the direction of the tower when the second explosion occurred, so now there’s only one guard left outside the building.  Joel indicates to the others to distract the guard as he moves behind him. After a few minutes, John and the other guy run in the other direction of the building, making sure that the guard sees them.  And as soon as the guard is going to move to follow them, Joel moves quickly from the other side of the building and grabs the man by the neck. The man tries to fight back as Joel starts to strangle him.  After a minute, the man stops fighting, and Joel drops him to the ground. “Okay, one down,” says Joel as soon as the others come back. “Now, we need to get inside, but we don't know how many guards are inside.” John kneels down and starts checking the dead man.  He takes a gun from the man, and a few smoke grenades that the guard had on him. 

“We don't have much time -- soon, more guards are going to come this way,” says John, standing up.

“Yeah, I think you’re right, so let's finish this -- let’s go!” The three of them move to the entrance of the building and open the door.  As soon as they go inside, they see a narrow corridor that leads to the center of the building. As they start to move, they see the two guards in there.  The guards look at them as soon as they arrive to the center and start shooting at them. 

Joel throws the smoke grenade and runs for cover.  John and the other guy start shooting back at the guards before the smoke covers the place.  They manage to hit the guy with Joel and John and kill him. As the smoke makes a good cover, Joel takes the chance to get close to one of the guards and shoot him in the head.  The other guard comes up behind Joel, but before he has the chance to shoot, John comes behind him and stabs the man in the neck. Joel turns quickly and sees the man falling down. “Thanks!” says Joel as he continues checking if more guards are coming, but no one comes. “Okay, there’s another door behind that desk -- I bet they’re inside.” Joel walks toward the door, but it’s locked.  He turns to John and tells him to check the guards’ bodies and check if one of them has the key. John moves to check them and after a few moments, he finds the key. He walks back toward Joel and inserts the key in the lock, and the door opens. 

“Jonathan!... Jonathan!...” John starts to call his son as soon as they enter the room.

Joel starts to do the same, “Ellie!...” as he starts to check one of the 4 doors in there. 

“Jonathan!... are you here?...” yells John again, checking another door. 

Joel starts to get desperate when no one answers the call. “Okay, there’s only 2 cells left.  I will check this one, and you check the other--” he stops when he hears a voice coming from the last cell. 

“Dad!... is that you?” answers the boy, hitting the door from inside. 

“Yeah, son, it’s me… don't worry, I’ll take you out of there!”  John moves to the cell door and uses the key to open it. Tears start to fall as soon as he hears his boy for the first time in months.  Joel continues to call Ellie, but gets no response from her. 

John passes the key to Joel as soon as he unlocks the door where his kid is.  Joel takes the key and starts to open the cell that is next to the boy. John opens the door and as soon as he sees his son, the boy jumps on his arm and hugs him.  Both of them are crying from happiness, as they feel happy that the other is alive. The room that Joel opens is empty, so he starts to wonder where they’re keeping Ellie.  He moves to the other one and opens it, but all of them are empty. 

John leaves the room, holding his boy close to him.  But as Jonathan sees the man in front of him, he speaks up.  “Are you Ellie’s dad?” he asks quickly.

John looks at him and answers.  “No!... but I was with her before these people brought her here,” he says to the boy.  “Do you know where they keep her?” asks Joel, desperate.

“She’s not here -- they took her a while ago and they haven’t come back with her yet,” says the boy.

_ Fuck!… _ Joel says to himself.  “Do you know where they took her?” Joel asks, looking at the boy sadly. 

“They probably took her to the medical center.  It’s in the big building. She talked a lot about you, but they told her that you were dead,” he says to Joel, then he looks at his dad. “They said the same for you.  I was so scared and sad... I thought I was never going to see you again.” John hugs him hard and kisses him on the top of his head. “They told me that you were out helping them and that I was going to help them to find a cure,” he adds as soon as they separate.  Joel looks at them and feels happy for them, but now he needs to go to the main building and find Ellie, no matter what.

“It’s a long story, son, but these people are not what they said they are.  But all this ends now. I’m just happy to see that you’re okay.” Then he looks at Joel. “Now we need to find your girl.” 

Joel moves close to the door and checks if there’s anybody there waiting for them, but the middle room is empty.  “You need to get your boy out of here. Take him to the tunnel. I will go and get Ellie out of that place.”

“Are you crazy?... that place has to be full of Firefly soldiers.  You can’t do that alone. Look, I will take my boy to the tunnel and then we can go together and find your girl,” says John, moving behind him as they start to get out of the cell room. 

“You need to get your boy out of here -- he needs you.  Don't worry about me, I will find a way to get her out.” They run toward the door of the small building, but as soon as they get out, Joel sees a jeep coming their way with more Firefly soldiers in it.  They move quickly and hide behind some metal barrels.

Joel looks at the jeep, then he turns and looks at John and his boy.  “They’re coming this way, and we can't fight them like this. So take your son and go to the tunnel.  I’ll make sure that they don’t follow you,” says Joel, moving away from them.

“Hey, you can't do this!...” but when he looks at him, he’s already on the other side of the building.  He sees the jeep passing close to them and after Joel. As soon as he makes sure that no more Fireflies are coming, he grabs his son and runs in the direction of the water building.  “Okay, son, I will take you to the tunnels, then I’m going to help Joel find his girl,” says John as they’re getting close to the place.

The boy looks at him while they’re still running.  “Dad!... I’m not going anywhere without you again. I’ll go with you if you’re going back there.  Besides, Ellie is my friend, and I want to help, too,” says the boy.

John stops in the entrance of the small building and grabs his boy by the shoulder.  “Thanks, but I think that you two do enough. And I’m not going to risk your life again, so as soon as you get in there--” John stops as he remembers that there could be more infected inside the tunnels.

But his son takes him out of his thoughts.  “But… I’m not going to let you do this by yourself… I can't lose you, either,” the boy starts to protest, but John just opens the door and goes inside with him.

“Don't worry, son, I’ll take you to the other side.  Then I’ll think of how to help Joel and Ellie.”  _ Sorry, Joel, but I need to get my boy out of this base.  I will come back as soon as I can, _ he says to himself as he guides his boy to the entrance of the tunnel. 

Joel is running to one of the other buildings when the Firefly soldiers intercept him.  They pull the jeep up in front of him and point their guns at him. There are 4 of them, so there’s no way he can kill them all before they get him.  He needs to think of a better way to take them down. He drops the weapon he has in his hand and puts his arms up. The Fireflies start to get out of the jeep, and one of them moves close to him. 

“Alright, get on your knees, and tell us where the others are.”  Joel starts to think of what to do now. He can’t let these men kill him before he gets the chance to get Ellie out.  Also, he doesn’t want to die before he kills the motherfucker that is in charge here. “Oh, so you think you’re so tough, umm... Okay, we can find your friend without your help, old man.”  As soon as the Firefly soldier moves his hand to shoot Joel in the head, Joel was going to get out the gun he has on his back to shoot the man, but he hears a buzz, then he sees a lot of blood coming out of the man’s head. 

“Gotcha!...” says Angel, looking through the scope of her sniper rifle.

Joel quickly uses the dead man’s body to cover himself and shoot with his hidden gun at one of the men in front of him.  The other soldier starts to move for cover, but another shot from Angel takes another one down. The last two went for the jeep, but Joel gets one of them.  The other gets into the jeep, but before he starts the vehicle, he gets hit in the head. Joel looks in the direction of the field where he thinks the shots came from and gives a thanks signal to the woman.  Then he moves close to the jeep, pulls the dead man out of it, and gets in.

Angel smiles a little, then takes her eyes out of the scope for a moment.  She hears some vehicles coming from the entrance of the base. She moves the rifle in that direction and takes a look with the scope.  She moves her head again as she sees three new vehicles getting into the base. She quickly takes her radio out and starts calling Carlos.  “Hey, boss, where are you?” she continues calling, and after a minute someone answers her. 

_ Grrrggg… “Angel… is that you?”  _ asks Carlos on the radio.

“Where are you?... I lost your position when I was helping the old man.”

_ Grrrggg… “We’re in one of the hangars, fighting a few Firefly soldiers.  We have some dead and wounded men here... Did they find the kids?” _

“I saw John running in the direction of the tunnel with the boy.  But the old man was alone. I guess the girl wasn't there.”

_ Grrrggg… “shit!.. That means they have her in the main building... Where are the others?”  _

“I lost them too, after they blew up the tower, but you have another problem.  I just saw three more vehicles entering the base, and they’re going your way.”

_ Grrrggg… “Fuck!... that must be the group that was outside, John was talking about them.  They came back too early.”  _

“So what are we going to do now -- they’re too many.”

_ Grrrggg… “just keep us covered as much as you can… we need to get to the main building before they try to escape again.  We’re not going to have another chance like this again to kill that son of a bitch!” _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	47. Payback's a bitch! - Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Joel didn't find Ellie were they supposed to have her he move to the main building to go for her, mean while Carlos and the other, are trying their best to keep the ex- fireflies occupied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 46 : Payback's a bitch! - Part 2**

  
  
  


Joel is in the jeep, driving in the direction of the main building, but as soon as he is getting close, the hangars that are before the building are covered by the Firefly soldiers.  When they see him, they start shooting at him. Joel tries to evade some of the bullets, but the jeep gets some. As some hit the radiator, vapor starts to flow out of the front of the jeep, so as soon as Joel gets close to the barricade, he speeds up the jeep and jumps to the side.  The jeep continues on its way and crashes into the barricade, exploding, killing some of the soldiers there. After the explosion, three soldiers move toward Joel, but when they get close, Lee and Ramon walk out from one of the buildings and start to shoot at them. After they kill the Firefly soldiers, Lee moves to the wall of the hangar and supports himself there.  Ramon moves close to him and sees that he is wounded in his side. Joel stands up and walks to them, and helps Ramon move him inside the building, helping him down behind some big boxes.

“Shit!... that hurt,” Lee says as soon as he is laid on the floor.

“Hey dejame ver,” says Ramon, checking the wound.  “Oh… man, eso no se ve bien.”

Joel looks at him, then at Ramon.  “Where’s the other guy?”

“He is dead… ugh... he got shot when we tried to blow the armory… ugh... so we have to retreat.” He speaks with some pain showing in his face.  “Where is John and the other man?... did you find the kids?”

“We found John’s boy, but my girl wasn’t there.  So I need to get to the main building to find her.  Oh, the other guy is dead too, and John is on his way to the tunnel with his boy,” says Joel, looking to the side to see if more soldiers are coming.

“I’m glad for him, but if your… urg… girl is in that building… it’s almost impossible to get  inside… urg...” he closes his eyes in pain as Ramon continues treating his wound.

“Si, ellos tienen muchos guardias hay, y bien armados. Será difícil poder entrar por la puerta principal. Tenemos que avisar a Carlos, y tu trata de no hablar mucho.”

“Well, I need to get inside, and I don't have much time,” says Joel, looking at them.

 

(At the main building, 20 minutes earlier)

A group of 8 Firefly soldiers are working on barricading the front of the main building.  They’re preparing their guns to make sure no one enters that way. Walter walks out of the building and looks at them.  “What the hell is going on here--” he stops when he hears some gunshots and explosions in the distance.

“We are under attack, sir -- we’re moving all the soldiers we can to repel the intruders, but so far--”

“Who the hell is attacking us?... and how did they get into the base with all the security we have?” Walter asks the man in charge there.

“We’re not sure, sir, but the men on the front gate said that the only people that entered the base were William’s group.  That was the same group that was supposed to bring the doctor here,” answers the officer.

“The team that we sent to the town?... So you’re telling me that some people from that town came here and are attacking us?” asks Walter furiously.

“It seems like that… sir.  But our report said that they are well-armed.”

“That’s impossible -- they don’t have-- wait. They must have called someone to help them.  Okay, call Richard’s team and tell them to get back here… now!”

“We can’t, sir, they just destroyed the communication tower and part of the armory.”

“WHAT!... what the fuck have you been doing… who is in charge of security?”  

“Nolan, sir.  He just called and said that he had some of the intruders pinned up in the hangars close to the airport gate,” says the man.

“I want those men dead.  So make a call and tell him that I want this situation under control as soon as possible -- is that clear?”

“Yes sir, we’re going to send more men there.”

“And bring more men here, too.  I want this building well-secured,” he orders the man, then walks inside again.

 

(Back to Joel)

“Como vamos a entrar, sin refuerzos, y Lee esta mal herido. No seria buena idea mover lo.”

Joel looks at him and lets him know that he doesn't understand half of the words he is saying.  “Look, I don't need you to go inside, if that’s what you’re saying. I just need a way in,” says Joel.

“Man… I know she’s important to you…” ...cough, cough… “but that is suicidal,” says Lee, looking at him.

“Si hombre, si vas hay solo te van a matar.”

“There has to be a way in…”  Joel moves to the corner of the building where they’re hiding.  And he sees the main building at the distance, but they are right:  there are a lot of guards there -- he doesn't have any chance to pass all that.  “Hey, what about the energy power?... Do you think that if we blow that up, that will help me get in?” asks Joel, looking at them now.

Lee looks at him, trying to think of something. “Ummm…if we cut the power to the building…”  Cough... “that might work… but we still need to pass the front guards… and we don't know how many are inside.”

Joel looks back outside, looking for something.  Then something comes up in his mind. “Ramon, if you can cut the power, I think I have an idea of how to get rid of the guards.” Joel smiles at him.

“No se porque, pero tengo un mal presentimiento sobre esto,” Ramon says, shaking his head.

 

(In another part of the base)

“Ahhhh… fuck!.. that hurt,” screams Carlos as soon as Wendy’s hand touches his wound.

“Jesus… don’t be such a baby.  I told you not to move, and you continue doing it,” says Wendy while she is attending Carlos’s leg wound.

Scott gets close to him and kneels beside the two.  “Are you alright, boss?” he asks.

“Ahh, don't worry, he’s going to live,” answers Wendy, smiling at him.

“Not for long if we don’t get out of here.  Angel called and said that 3 vehicles just arrived at the base and are coming this way,” says Carlos, looking at both of them.

“So, what are we going to do?... there’s still a lot of them out there, and we’ve already lost 3 men,” says Scott.

“We have enough to keep them away, but if those new ones get here… My priority for now is to get you to a safe place,” he says to Wendy with a worried face.

Wendy looks at him with an annoyed expression.  “Our priority is to stop Walter, and destroy all his research.  So stop worrying about me. I’m fine -- you don't need to be babysitting me… it was my choice to come, so--” she starts at him with a hard voice.

“I know that you can take care of yourself.  But this is not a normal situation, and you’re not a soldier -- you’re a civilian,” says Carlos, starting to get to his feet.

“Ha -- that’s cute.  You’re still thinking like a soldier.  We all have to fight to survive now, so don't tell me that I’m a--”

“Can you two stop!... they’re here,” says Tank with a thick voice.

Everyone there looks at him.  “He should talk,” say some of them at the same time.

Scott moves toward the door and takes a look through a hole in there.  “Three vehicles just parked outside... looks like 10 more men.”

“Shit!” says Carlos, looking at the others in there.  He needs to think of something fast if they’re going to get out of there alive.  

 

(Inside the main building)

Owen starts to grab some papers and folders, and put them in a briefcase.  He is just taking the important things that he is going to need later. He is checking some report when someone opens the door.  “Sir, the guards have arrived… do you want me to take them to the test room and pick up the girl?”

“Yes, yes… go there and move the girl to the west hangar… we need to get her out--”

“Delay that order -- just tell the guards to go there and wait for me,” says a familiar voice, passing the man that just entered and looked at him.  Owen stands up as soon as Walter enters the room. “What the hell are you doing?” asks the man, looking at him now.

“Packing!... what do you think… you should be doing the same,” says Owen while he continues checking some papers.

“You stupid coward -- you were going to run away because we have a little problem outside?... you don't need to worry about that -- my men are getting everything under control as we speak.”

“UNDER CONTROL!?... you know that it’s him -- the one who’s attacking us, right?... we need to get out before the rest of the military gets here and I lose all my work,” he says, looking at the man.

“YOUR WORK!?...  this is our work, Doc.  Don't forget that. And you really think these people are Carlos`s mercenaries?”  

“Who else can they be?... you sent your men into that town to get that doctor, and a few hours later, they're attacking us… Sorry if I’m a little concerned, but I don't believe in coincidence,”  says Owen, continuing to check his work.

“Shit!... I thought you had more balls... if it’s him, we’re going to take care of him this time... Where are your assistants, anyway?”

“One is with the girl, the other two... I don't know where they are.  They probably ran away and hid somewhere. Look, maybe you think that I’m a coward, but if he gets here, he is going to destroy all the work we’ve done here.  We are so close to getting what we want, so why not make sure that all this work survives?”

“Fine… if you feel better, get what you need and go to the hangar, and wait until all this is over. But you can be sure that this time, I’m going to kill that motherfucker myself.”  With that, Walter walks out of the office.

 

(Outside, a few minutes earlier)

“Acaso estas loco!...”

“He’s right… it’s the only way to distract the guard… and keep them occupied.”

“Pero qué hay de ti… deberíamos avisarle a Carlos primero.  Esto es una locura.”

“I already told you that… El radio no sirve… we’re getting overrun.  So this is the best plan we can do right now,” says Lee.

“Esto no me gusta,” says Ramon, shaking his head.

“We don't need to like it -- just blow the door, and after that, find a way to warn Carlos and the others.” Ramon is thinking for a moment, but clicks the detonator and blows the door of a hangar that is across from them.  After the door is destroyed by the explosion, dozens of infected start to come out of the place. Some of them start to run in different directions, but a big group run in the direction of the main building.

“Well, that works… for now… but how are you going to get into the building?” asks Lee, looking at the infected moving to attack the guards.

“Don't worry about that, just make sure to blow the power generator that gives energy to the building.”  With that, Joel jumps out from their hiding place and runs in the direction of the building. As the group of infected get close to the building’s entrance, one of the guards notices them and starts shooting.

“What the hell -- how did they get out of the hangars?” screams one of the guards.

“Fuck!... just shoot them… Ahhhh!!!” All the guards start to shoot, and everything becomes chaos there.

Lee and Ramon walk close to the side of the building where they saw the small power plant that gives power to that area of the base.  Also, they can see the barricade that surrounds the place, and a few Firefly soldiers in there, too. “Shit!... that is… going to complicate things…” says Lee.

“Son demasiados, nos mataran antes de que podamos acercarnos, para colocar los explosivos,” says Ramón, looking at the place.

Lee looks at the place, trying to find a way to blow it up.  “We don't need to put the explosives... in there... just make a big explosion... close enough to damage the thing,” says Lee with some pain in his voice.

“Si, eso puede resultar… pero cómo lo hacemos?”

Lee starts looking around.  “Wait… maybe I can… use the… little car… that we saw back there.”  He starts walking toward the car he mentioned.

“Esa cosa!?... Eso no nos va a proteger lo suficiente… estaremos muertos an-espera un minuto. No,no,no… no voy a dejar que hagas esto.”

“It’s better this… way... I’m not going to make it, man… so at least I can do something... good.”

“No, no… you… are going to make it… yo se que puedes,” says Ramon sadly.

“Thanks… mi amigo… but this is the best… I can do… just put the rest… of the explosives in the car... and give me the detonator.”  After a few minutes and some protests from Ramon, they finish with the car. They still hear the gunshots at the entrance of the building, so they try to hurry up.  Lee enters the car after they take out the dead body of the driver, and starts the car. “Don't worry, mi amigo… just make sure that these people pay… for the death of your friends… after I blow up this… go and help the old man get his girl back,” he says with a smile on his face.

“Esto no se supone que terminara asi… God bless you, my friend… and give them hell…” says Ramon, closing the door of the car.

“See you in another life… amigo!” With that, he accelerates the car in the direction of the power plant.  As soon as he is close, the guards see the car and start shooting. The bullets hit the car’s windshield and several other parts.  Lee takes a few hits himself, but as he gives more speed to the car, it’s too late for them to stop him. “This is for… our team… assholeeee!”  The car crashes into the barricade and part of the generator and explodes.

  **KA-BOOM!!!**

 A few other explosions start in the power plant, after the first one.  The reaction of the explosions causes more damage to the small plant. And as soon as the power plant starts to blow up, the electricity goes out in the whole area.

 

(Inside the building)    

Walter is walking toward the test room when he feels another tremor in the building.  Then the power goes off. “What the fuck!... How can a little group of intruders cause so much damage in here?” he says to himself while he enters the second floor.  He turns on a flashlight that he was carrying on his belt and continues toward the room. As soon as he gets close, the two guards there flash him with their guns’ lights.   

“Stop there!... Identify yourself,” says one of the guards.

“It’s me, you idiot... they cut the power, so I assume that some of them are in here already.  Are you the only ones in the building?” asks Walter as he gets close to the man.

“There are 4 on the first floor, and a few others on the third.  I don't know if more troops are coming this way. The communications are not working right,” answers one of the guards.

“Okay, try to call some back up, and in the meantime, let's move the girl out of here.”    

“Yes sir!” One of the guards starts to use the radio, and finally, someone answers.  “What!... you... open the door and--” he stops as he feels another tremor, this one closer.  The other guards move to open the door of the test room.

“That came from downstairs, sir… I think that they entered the building.”

“No shit!... the guard downstairs can handle them.  You stay on guard, and you help me with the girl.” They move inside the room where Ellie is still tied up in the chair.  Her eyes are half open, still suffering from the effects of the drug. Walter gets close to her on one side and the guard on the other.    

Ellie tries to move her head to look at the man beside her.  “What… is...going on?” she asks in a lower and weak voice.

“Nothing that concerns you, but we’re going to move you to another place.” He is starting to remove Ellie’s restraints from the chair when the guard’s radio comes alive.  

_Grrrggg…”Is anybody there?... over… this is beta team…” ...Grrrggg...  “...can anyone hear me?”_

The guard picks up the radio and tries to answer.  “Hello…” _Grrrggg…_ “Hello?”

_Grrrggg… “repeat… this is beta team… over.”_

“Hello!... this is Oliver… can you hear me?... what’s your status… over.”

“Why doesn’t he answer?” asks Walter.

“I don't know… he’s transmitting but not receiving, I guess,” answers the guard.

_Grrrggg… “If someone’s listening to this… the infected are loose… repeat, the infected are loose in the base”... Grrrggg…_ the communication is cut off and the guard looks at Walter.

“Sir?... what do we do now?” asks the guard nervously.

“We continue with the plan.  We move the girl to a safe place and--” he stops as some gunshots start in the corridor.  “Fuck!... go out there and kill those motherfuckers. I’ll untie the girl… GO!” The guard takes his gun out of the holster and walks to the door.

“Estás seguro que estes es el piso?” says Ramon as soon as they get out of the emergency stairs, into the corridor.

“Man… can you speak in English?... I can’t get half of what you saying,” says Joel when he enters the corridor after him.

“Ha, you come from Texas, right?... Y no aprendistes nada de español allí?”  

Joel gives him a look.  “Yeah… just go that way, I’ll check this part, okay?  And how come you understand everything we say, but you don’t speak it much?”

“I can understand what you say... well, most of it… pero prefiero hablar mi lengua.  Estás seguro de dividirse, vi algunos infectados entrar.”

“Ummm… Just go that way and--” Joel stops when someone starts shooting at them.  He takes cover behind the wall and fires back.

 

(Outside with Carlos)

A big group of Firefly soldiers is standing in front of the hangar door, waiting for the order to go in or for the intruders inside to make their move.

“Okay, boss, what are we going to do now?... there’s no other way out of this, and with the new arrivals, it’s going to be more difficult,” says Scott, moving away from the door.

“We’re going to fight them.  We still have the advantage if they try to come in here.  But before that happens -- Tank!... I want you to take Wendy out of here as soon as they start to get in.  We’ll cover you and--” he stops when Wendy moves in front of him.

“Again with this?... I already told you that I’m not going to leave--” Wendy starts to protest, but he stops her.  

“This isn’t open for discussion -- we are soldiers.  We all know what this means and what to expect from this.  But you are a civilian and I… I’m not going to let them kill you,” Carlos says firmly.

Wendy moves close to him and puts one hand on his shoulder.  “Look, I knew the risk we were going to face by coming here… shit!.. we all do.  And it’s cute that you care for me that much. But you’re wounded, and so are others.  If you and your men get killed, all this is going to be for nothing. They already know that this attack came from the town, and if we don’t stop them, they’re going to send soldiers there and kill everyone.  Just let me help -- if we do this together, maybe we have a chance to finish this,” explains Wendy with a sad voice.

“Hey, Carlos!... is it you in there?” asks Richard from outside.  “I thought that you and the rest of your team were dead, but I can see that I was wrong.”

“Who is he?... and how does he know your name?” asks Wendy, looking at him.

“Someone that I wanted to see again -- to get some payback,” answers Carlos.

“I know it’s you… So I’m going to give you the chance to surrender.  That place is surrounded by my men, so there’s no escaping this time.  So give me the woman, and drop your weapons, and maybe--”

“Wow, that is a generous offer.  But if you want us, you have to come for us.  Oh, and this time, come yourself and don't send your subordinates to die for you,” says Carlos with a firm voice.

Wendy moves away from him and looks at the door.  “They still want me alive?”…She turns her head and looks at Carlos.  “Maybe we can use that to get out of this.”

“What do you mean?... even if they don’t kill you, they’re not going to let us go.”

“Well, like you said.  You are all soldiers, so start to think like one, and find a way to get us out of this,” says Wendy, smiling at him.

“I don't have time to play… so you have one minute to decide, or we’re going in and killing you all.  I know the doc is in there, and that you have some other people who aren’t part of your team. So you’re going to sacrifice them as well?”  

Carlos is thinking of what to do now.  Wendy was right: he needs to do something fast if they want to get out of this.  “Angel, do you copy?” _... Grrrggg…_ “Angel, are you there?...” _Grrrggg…_ “Okay, I don't know if you're receiving this.  But if you’re still in your position, we’re going to need some cover.  We’re coming out…” he says through the radio.

“What’s the plan, boss?... you’re not planning on surrendering… right? ” asks Tank.

“You’re going to stay here and prepare to shoot anyone that comes through that door…” he says to Tank, then turns toward the door.  “Okay, Ricard, the doc and me are coming out, but on one condition.”

“I don't think you’re in any position to negotiate... but what do you want?”

“There are 5 people left in here, and some of them are wounded.  I want you to let them go. They are just civilians... the rest of my men are dead.”

There is silence for a moment, then Richard answers him.  “Okay, if you surrender and the people there give up their weapons… they can leave.”

“Do I have your word on that?”

“Sure… my word as one soldier to another.”  He leans closer to the man beside him and whispers, _“As soon as we have them in custody, go in and kill the rest.”_

Carlos and Wendy open the hangar door and walk out of the building with their hands up.  Richard is waiting at the front, with some of his men pointing at them. As soon as they move away from the entrance, he orders two of his men to bring them close to him.  “Well, I finally get face to face with the infamous Carlos. This is a great moment for us. You killed a lot of our people, and helped those military dogs to hunt us down,” says Richard, getting close to them.  

“Ha -- I’d prefer to be face to face with your boss, so that way, I can see his face when I kill him.”

“Ummm… still thinking that you’re going to get out of this alive... do you?” says the man, getting close to them.  “Well, you were lucky the last time, but this time, you’re not going to have that luck. But even though I’d like to kill you myself, I’m pretty sure that my boss would like to do that himself,” he says, turning his back to them.

“Yeah… I bet he has more balls than you,” says Wendy, looking at him.  

“Oh… don't you worry, Doc, I’m sure Walter has some plans for you,” he says, turning to look at her.

_Grrrggg… “Sir… if you can hear me… move back inside as soon as I shoot… there’s a lot of infected coming your way… move your head if you get me,”_ Carlos hears Angel’s voice through the earpiece that he put on before getting out.  He slowly moves his head and prepares himself to grab Wendy when the time comes. Angel is looking through the scope, waiting for the right moment.

Richard moves a little closer to them and starts to speak again.  “Now… about the other people inside. I’m afraid that--” A buzz can be heard before Richard starts to fall down to the ground.

“Gotcha!” Angel is smiling as she looks for another target and continues the shooting.  “This is for our brothers, you motherfuckers.”

The other Firefly soldiers start to look in shock as their boss goes down.  In the confusion, Carlos quickly grabs Wendy and starts to run back to the hangar.  Some of the guards start to shoot at them, but they start to get hit by Angel’s shots.  After that, a group of infected start to show up there and attack the men. Carlos and Wendy make it inside and order one of the men to close the door as the shooting and screaming continues outside.    

 

(Back with Joel)

Joel and Ramon continue their shooting at the last man there.  Joel is trying to move closer to the man when Ramon notices some smoke coming up from the first floor through the stairs.  “Hey…” he tries to warn Joel, but it seems that he’s still occupied, shooting at the guard.

“If you didn't notice… I’m a little busy here,” says Joel without looking at him.

“Pues apurate en matar a ese cabron...  because I think this building is on fire.” Joel looks back at him and sees the smoke coming up from the stairs and into the corridor.

“Shit… Okay, can you still shoot?” he asks him, because the other guard hit him on the left shoulder before he killed him.

“Claro que puedo, solo fue un rasguño. Solo dejame saber que quieres que haga.” He starts to stand up from his position.

“Just move there, and shoot when I tell you, okay?” says Joel, taking a few more shots.

“Okay!” answers Ramon, getting in position.

Joel starts to run in the direction of the guards.  As soon as the guards see him, he moves away from the wall and aims at him.  “NOW!” Joel yells as he drops himself to the floor.

Ramon sees the opening and shoots the man in the chest.  The man falls backward as he gets hit, but as he has a bulletproof vest, he isn’t dead yet.  Joel quickly stands up and moves close to him. He tries to grab his rifle, but Joel steps on his hand to stop him.  “I’m looking for a girl... do you know where she is?” Joel asks politely.

“I don't know what you’re talking about, but if you think that you’re get--”

  _KA-BAM..._

 “Wrong answer, asshole.”  Joel starts to move away after he shoots the man in the head.

Ramon walks beside him.  “Nicely done!... y justo a tiempo pues ya no tengo más balas.  Crees que deberíamos ver porque estaban protegiendo ese cuarto,” says Ramon, pointing to the room close to them.

“Yeah, let’s see what’s in there.”  Joel and Ramon move slowly toward the door and open it.  As Joel enters the room, he sees the chair in the middle with a person in it.  “Ellie!” he says quickly, but can’t see her well as the room is a little dark. Only the emergency lights are on now, so he walks toward the chair and confirms that it’s her… his Ellie.

“Is that your girl?...” asks Ramon as soon as he gets close behind Joel.

“Yes it is,” he says, moving close to her.  “Ellie…hey, kiddo… it’s me, Joel!...” he says, passing his hand over her head softly.

“No se tu... but she doesn’t look good,” says Ramon.

“Ellie!  Can you hear me?... c’mon, baby, it’s me... fuck!... they must’ve drugged her.  Okay, untie her feet, I’ll do the rest.” Ramon goes down and starts to untie her feet while Joel starts to untie her hands.  “Hey, kiddo, it’s me, just look at me, okay… Ellie!”

“Tenemos que salir de aquí. Si entra mas humo, no podremos salir.”

Joel tries not to think about what he is saying, but he understands, as he sees the smoke, too.  “Yeah, just untie her so we can go. Ellie, look at me… Ellie, can you hear me?” Ellie moves her head and looks at him.  Her eyes are just half open and all she can see is a blurred figure in front of her...

“Joel!...” she looks at him but thinks that he is an illusion.  “Please let me be in peace, I don’t need you in my head right now.” Ellie is so confused that she doesn’t believe that Joel is there.

“What!... no, no, kiddo, I’m not in your head.  I’m real… I came here to rescue you,” says Joel, shaking her a little.

Ellie tries to focus on him.  “No, you’re not real… you’re in my head… the real Joel is dead... they told me,” says Ellie with some tears forming in her eyes.

“No baby, I’m not dead… it’s me, for real…” Joel tries to get to her, and feels sad to see her like that.

Ramon stands up and looks at them.  “Tenemos que irnos!” He moves to the other side of the chair and looks at Joel.  “Just grab her, y vámonos, yo tengo un mal presentimiento de esto.”

“Okay, let's go.”  He is going to grab her and take her out of the chair.  “What the hell did they do to you?... I swear--” he starts to say when he hears someone else speaking.

“I did what had to be done to save us…” Walter comes out from a little wall in one corner of the room.

“Que carajo!” says Ramon, turning around, then a shot can be heard in the room.

  _KA- BAM!_

 “Ahhh…” Ramon falls down before he can do anything.  He receives a shot in his chest, so he doesn’t have a chance.  Joel lets go of Ellie and tries to pull his gun out, but the man gets close to him and points the gun at Ellie.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” He smiles at him.  “Okay, just drop and kick it over here, or I’ll shoot her!” says the man.

Joel doesn't have any other choice but to do what he said, so he drops the gun and kicks it toward the man’s feet, then he moves away from Ellie, trying to attract the attention of the man away from her.  “It’s you, is it?... the leader of this group of Fireflies…. Walter, is that right?”

He bends down and grabs Joel’s gun in his hand, and starts to check it.  “Interesting -- you were going to shoot me with an empty gun.” He looks at Joel with some curiosity.  “Yeah, I’m the person you’re looking for. And you must be the old man that started all this. I am very lucky then… I thought you were dead, but look at you.  Now the circle is complete. You killed Marlene, and I’m going to be the lucky one to kill you.”

  
  



	48. Payback's a bitch! - Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally Ellie nightmare is over, and Joel is the one that wake her up from it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 47 : Payback's a bitch! - Part 3**

  
  
  
  


“What the hell did you do to her?” says Joel with a furious tone.

“Like I said, I did what I had to to save my people.  Marlene wanted to save the world... I just wanted something simpler.  But she didn’t have the courage to do what we need to do; she was too soft.”  Walter throws aside the empty gun, but still points his gun at Joel.

Joel tries to keep him distracted until he finds a way to take him down.  “Soft!... are you fucking kidding me?... do you think that killing innocent people and experimenting on them is going to make any difference?... there is no cure -- when are you people going to understand that!”

“We all make sacrifices.  Marlene made hers, and you killed her and a lot of innocent people in that hospital in Salt Lake City.  You think we are heartless monsters? What about you… ummm? Or the military? The government and F.E.D.R.A.!  They destroyed this country and tried to enslave the last of us. And you think that we are the monsters?... all we want is to be free.”

“I don't give a fuck about the government or F.E.D.R.A. -- they don't exist anymore, and the military... they can go to hell for all I care.”

“Yeah, that’s the problem with people like you, old man.  You never see the big picture of things. We don't need to find a cure to save us from all this... we just need to do what we have to do.”

“Yeah… I just think that you’re as crazy as all of them.  I know what your big picture is. So please don't try to make me believe in all that Firefly crap.  You’re all the same… in the end, all you want is to be in control. Well, let me tell you something, pal:  your work here is done... this place is no longer useful for you.”

“Yeah, maybe this place is doomed, but we can find another one.  Our work here is done anyway, and all we need now is her.” He moves closer to Ellie. “I don't really care about people like you, and their pathetic lives.  But you killed Marlene, and despite everything, I loved her. But now I’m going to enjoy watching you die.” 

“Then why you don't do it already -- I prefer that than to hear all that bullshit.” Joel tries to see what he can do, because no way in hell is he going to let this asshole take Ellie away from him again. 

Walter just smiles at him. “Killing you like this is too easy.  I want you to suffer before you die. And I have just the thing that is going to make your death… ummm… entertaining.” He moves away from Ellie and walks to a door on the other side of the room.  He presses a button in the wall that opens the door. “I want you to meet a person that helped us get what we need.”

The door doesn't open automatically as the power was out, but it releases the lock, and all Walter needs to do is push it a little.  After he opens the door, he moves away, and a few seconds later, an infected woman in chains starts to walk out of the other room. The infected woman starts to scream as soon as she sees them, but the chain doesn’t let her go farther than the doorframe. 

Joel is taken by surprise.  “Are you kidding… you’re going to let loose an infected in here?” asks Joel, moving away from her. 

“Oh, don't worry, she’s not going to attack Ellie… she’s already immune to that.  And after I use this... so am I.” Walter takes a syringe out of his pocket and shows it to Joel.  “Now let me introduce you to Martha!... She was a good doctor here… she helped us a lot. But her only problem was that she developed a conscience... too bad for her.  But besides that, she can still be useful to us in other ways.” 

“You sick bastard… I thought you were crazy, but now I can see that you’re totally insane,” says Joel, looking at him in disgust.

“I think people are going to be pleased when they know what I can give them.”

 

(Outside with Carlos’s group)

_ KA-BAM!... KA-BAM!... _

Carlos’s men secure the door as the infected try to get inside.  The screaming and shooting stops outside the building. Carlos presumes that the surviving Firefly soldiers went away, trying to escape.  

“There’s still a lot of them out there, even though the guard killed so many,” says a man looking through an upper window. 

“How is that possible?... even if they have some infected here to do experiments, they have too many for just that,” says Wendy, moving away from the door. 

“I don't know, but we’re trapped in here.  And those doors are not going to hold forever…” Carlos pushes the button on his earpiece to activate the mic.  “Angel… are you still there?...over.” He continues calling her, but nothing... and after a few minutes, he gets her response. 

_ Grrrggg… “Yes, boss… I’m still here… is everyone okay in there?”  _ she answers.

“Glad to hear your voice… We have a few wounded, but we’re holding for now.  The infected took out the Fireflies, but they’re also keeping us trapped in here.”

_ Grrrggg… “Yeah, I know -- I can see them… some came from the hangar on the other side, but others came from outside.”  _

“The sound of the explosion must have attracted them here from the city, pero como lograron entrar aqui?… Anyway, do you know something about the others?  The communication’s been a bitch.” 

_ Grrrggg… “I saw John and his son go to the tunnel… like an hour ago… after that, I helped the old man with some guard problem.  I don't know what happened to Lee and Ramon... a lot of explosions went off in the back of the south building.”  _

“Okay, we need to contact them and get out of this place before more infected show up.  We don't have enough ammunition to kill them all -- can you cover us?”

_ Grrrggg… “Sorry, boss, I’m out of bullets… but I can go down there and try to distract the infected, or--”    _

“No, just go to the tunnel and help John… we’ll try to find another way to get out of here.  Can you see if any of the vehicles out there are intact?”

_ Grrrggg… “Sorry, but the one these guys came in… was damaged in the crossfire… but the pickup that you came in is still good… you can use that one.”   _

“Okay, I know where it is, thanks.  Now go and help John and his kid... and if you contact the others, let me know.”

_ “Grrrggg… Okay, boss… and be careful -- the infected aren’t the only ones out there… a few Fireflies are still on the loose.” _

“Thanks, Angel… see you soon… over and out.”  With that, he lowers his hand and looks at the others.

“Okay, we need to work this out if we want to get out of here alive.  You!.. Get back to the window and count how many infected are out there.  Scott, go and check if there’s any way to get to the roof. The rest, check your weapons and ammunition and see what we have left.”  After that, all of them start to move. 

 

(Back to the laboratory)

“Okay, time for the show… Ahhhhhh!!!”   Walter was going to inject himself with the new serum when he feels something penetrating his leg.  He looks down and sees someone grabbing one of his feet. 

“Toma eso Cabron!..” says Ramon, stabbing him with a knife in one of his legs.  Walter moves backward as the pain starts in his leg. 

Walter points his gun down to shoot the man again, but Joel takes advantage of the distraction and moves quickly to tackle him to the floor.  Joel grabs the hand where he has the gun and starts fighting for it. The syringe he has in the other hand falls out when Joel lands a few punches on his face.  After that, Joel takes his hand and hits it against the floor several times, making him drop the gun. The infected woman starts to get agitated and tries to grab any one of them, but the chain stops her. Joel realizes that, and he moves away before she gets to him a second time.  Walter takes the chance to grab the knife in his leg and pull it out. Then he stands up from the floor, pointing the knife at Joel. “If you think that you’re going to get out of here alive… you’re mistaken,” says Walter, then he moves forward and tries to cut Joel with the knife. 

Joel moves quickly to the side and avoids the knife, then pushes the man away from him.  “I can say the same for you… you son of a bitch!...” The man turns around and tries again, but Joel moves backward and grabs a tray that was on a small table behind him.  He hits the man on his hand, making him drop the knife. The man attacks Joel again and kicks him in the leg, then pushes him toward the table. Joel hits the floor after the table breaks.  “AHHHHH!!!!” Joel screams in pain, but then he sees Walter going for the gun close to his feet, so Joel kicks it to the other side of the room. Walter turns around to get the gun again, but Joel stands up and tackles the man, pushing him toward the glass mirror and crashing his face into it.  The impact is so hard that the glass cracks. 

_ Cough!… Cough!... _ “Joel!... Is that you?” says Ellie in a lower voice; she is moving in the chair, trying to look at the two men fighting.  But the smoke starts to come into the room. 

Joel turns his head and looks at her.  He knows that he needs to finish this quickly if he wants to save Ellie.  “Hang on a little longer, baby, I'll take you out of here soon...” Walter takes advantage of the distraction and kicks Joel in the side, making him gasp for air.  Then he hits him in the face, making Joel fall to the floor, disoriented. Walter takes the opportunity to move away and go for the gun again. Joel starts to get up, but Walter reaches the gun, picks it up, and points it at him. 

“I guess this is the end, old man.  It’s a shame that you had to die so quickly, but my time is up, and-- Ahhhhhh...” His shot goes out after he feels that he’s been stabbed in the back with something, but his shot is off-balance when it hits Joel.   

“NOOOOOO!!!!”  Ellie screams as soon as she sees Joel get shot.

Walter watches Joel get hit and fall to floor, then he turns around and is surprised to see Ellie behind him. (Before Walter shot Joel, Ellie got out of the chair slowly and grabbed the knife he dropped on the floor, moved close to him, and stabbed him with it.)   He is trying to grab the knife out of his back, but it’s difficult. So he moves close to Ellie and hits her across the face with the back of his hand. The hit is so hard and Ellie is so weak that the hit knocks her out as soon as she hits the floor. “You stupid bitch… I’ll deal with you as soon as I finish with your old man,” he says, looking down at her, and finally pulling out the knife from his back. 

He feels the pain, but ignores it and turns around... as soon as he does, Joel grabs him and throws him close to the door of the next room.  He falls to the floor and the gun falls out of his hand; he feels the pain, but holds the knife in his hand and starts to get up. “Do you think this is over?... this is nothing... and now that you are wounded, I can take care of you more easily.  It’s too bad that you’re not going to see how your precious girl is going to make my dream come true. And when I finish with her, there’s not going to be anything left-- AHHHHHH!... ” Walter screams as soon as he feels Martha’s teeth penetrate his shoulder from behind.  He tries to move away, but is pushed down to the floor as the woman continues biting him. “Noooo!… Ahhhh!...” He continues screaming and trying to stab the woman with the knife, but she bites his hand and makes him drop it.

Joel looks at him as the infected woman continues biting him, like she is enjoying it.  He remembers him saying that this woman worked for him, so he thinks that this woman finally had her revenge, too.  He grabs his shoulder in pain, but thanks to Ellie, the shot didn't hit anything vital, and he isn’t bleeding much. He walks away, back to where Ellie is on the floor, and kneels beside her.  He pulls her up a little with one hand. She has her eyes closed, and Joel sees the bruise on her face where she got hit.

_ Bastard!...  _ He moves her head and puts it in his lap.   _ Cough!... cough!.. _ . “Ellie!... wake up, we need to get out of here… Ellie!” He starts to shake her and tries to wake her up.  Joel is really surprised that even in her condition, she saved his life again. He already lost count of how many times she’s saved his life -- not only physically, but emotionally, too.  After a few moments of him calling her name, she starts to move her head slowly. “Ellie!... are you okay?” He can’t believe that he asked her that stupid question, but he is happy to see that she is moving again. 

Ellie opens her eyes a little and looks at him.  “Joel!...” she says in a lower voice. “Did I die?... or I'm dreaming again?” she asks sadly. 

Joel feels his heart tearing apart.  Seeing her like this makes him want to kill that asshole all over again.  “No, kiddo, you’re not dead… and you’re not dreaming, either. Even if I wish that all of this was just a bad dream,” he says with a smile, happy to finally be with her again. 

“But… but you were dead… you fell into that hole… and… and they told me--” 

“Shhhh… it's okay, baby… it’s all over now… everything is going to be fine,” he starts to tell her as he sees some tears falling from her eyes.  Ellie sees some tears in Joel’s eyes, too, so she moves one hand up and slowly puts it on Joel’s face. She smiles as she can feel Joel’s skin and knows that he is real this time.  More tears come out of her, but this time from happiness. She continues passing her hand over his face, just to make sure that he is real. 

“Joel… it’s really you!…” she says with a smile on her face.

“Yes, kiddo!... it’s really me… I‘ll take you out of this fucking place… oh, baby, I love you so much.  I thought that I lost you this time,” says Joel, lifting her up and hugging her hard. His arm still hurts, but he doesn't care right now... he’s just happy to have Ellie back in his arms. 

Ellie is looking at him, then she moves one hand and grabs Joel’s neck.  Ellie pulls him down, closes her eyes, and kisses him. The kiss is long and passionate, Ellie is melting into the kiss... she thought that she was never going to feel those lips again, or his beard, or his touch.  She doesn’t want to move away from him. Feeling him and seeing that he is alive makes her heart jump a beat. It’s like something that was broken in her is starting to get fixed. As they need to break the kiss to get some air, Ellie moves her head a little to look at him, still hoping that this is not a dream.  After a minute, she moves slowly and hugs him again. “I love you too, Joel…” she finally says. 

They stay like that for a few minutes, not wanting to be apart again.  But the smoke continues to rise, and Ellie starts to cough again. He moves away from her and looks where Ramon’s body is.  Joel helps Ellie stand up and walk over there... he checks on him and confirms that he is dead. He feels sorry for the man; he saved his life, even in his last breath.  But there is nothing he can do for him now, and they need to get out of there. “You can walk?” Joel asks her quickly.

Ellie looks at him, still a little disoriented.  “Yeah, I think so,” she answers weakly, grabbing Joel by his waist.

“Okay, let's get out of here.” Joel helps her as they start to walk out of the room.  He starts to feel the pain in his arm, but he’s going to hold that in until he gets Ellie out.  There’s more smoke in the corridor, so Joel starts to move quickly. As they continue walking toward the stairs, Ellie hears some noises coming from the room. 

“What was that?” she asks in a lower voice.

“Oh, you don't need to worry about that... it was just someone getting what he deserves,” answers Joel. 

Ellie looks at him, not getting what he is talking about, but doesn't care right now.  “I thought I lost you forever this time…” Ellie says sadly. “What took you so long?” 

“Sorry about that, kiddo.  I know I should’ve come sooner, but--” He stops when he sees two Firefly soldiers coming out from a corner. 

Two guards point their guns at them.  “Hold it, you two… where are you going!” says one of the guards.  Joel looks at them, knowing that he can’t do anything while he is holding Ellie.  She starts to cough again, so he needs to think of something. 

“Hey, I’m just taking the girl out.  Your boss wanted her alive, so he’s not going to like if she dies,” Joel says, starting to walk again. 

“Shut up!...  where is the boss?...” says one of the guards.

“Yeah!... We’re the ones to escort him and the girl out of here.  So we know that he’s still in here,” says the other guards.

“Well, the last time I saw him, he was a little occupied with something.”

“Really!... wait… you’re not one of us… give us the girl,” says one of the guards, moving toward Joel.  

“I don't think so!...” says Joel, looking at both of them. 

“I wasn’t asking you, assho-- Ahhhhhh!!” Both men scream after they get shot from behind.  Both guards fall to the floor, dead before they even know what happened. Joel is surprised when he sees the man who killed them.   

“John!?... what are you doing here?  You’re supposed to get your son out of this place.”

“Well, you can thank me later.  Don’t worry about my boy -- he’s with Angel... we found her after we got out of the tunnel.  And I told her to take care of my son while I got back to help you. So this is your little girl?” he asks, moving close to help him with Ellie. 

“Yeah, this is... Ellie, but she is--” 

“I’m not a little girl, I’m 19… I’m a woman now!...” Ellie interrupts him just to make it clear.

“Hey… that’s fine by me.  But if you want to get to 20, it’s better to get out of here.  The first floor is already in flames. But I found another way out, so follow me.” He turns and starts walking in the opposite direction.  Joel follows him with Ellie in his arms. 

 

(Outside the building)  

“Move faster -- I need to get out of here…” says Owen as soon as he enters a hangar.  “Are all my things inside?” Owen asks one of the Firefly guards who is inside the hangar. 

“Everything is ready, sir, just putting in the last few boxes.  But we need to wait for the boss to come here.”

“Where is the pilot?” asks Owen, a little desperate.

“He’s not here yet.  I sent someone for him, but the rest of the troopers are fighting the intruders and the infected that escaped,” explains the guard in charge. 

“Well!... find another pilot then -- we can’t wait here anymore.  The base is compromised and we need to take all my research out of here.” Owen is getting desperate to get out of there.

“But we haven’t received any orders from the boss to evacuate the base!” 

“We don't need that order now!... If the base is compromised, the protocol is to evacuate all the important personnel first.  So find someone that can pilot this thing and get me out before more army soldiers arrive here.”

“Yes sir!...” he says to Owen, then looks at one of the men there. “Hey, you go out and find Mike... he must be in the main building.”  After a few minutes, a man enters, running into the hangar. He stops in front of Owen and the other soldier.

“Sir... the main building is on fire... and more infected… are coming this way,” says the man, catching his breath.

Owen looks at the soldier as he just stays confused, not knowing what to do.  Owen puts his hand on his shoulder. “It’s over... we can’t wait anymore -- we need to get all this out of here.  Or my work here is going to be lost.” 

“But… but the boss… he--” the man starts, but Owen looks at him, trying to make him understand the situation..

“Look!... Walter is a soldier, too.  He can take care of himself and get out of here with the others.   But we need to go now!... If the military arrives here and captures us, all this will have been for nothing.  Don't worry for him... I'm sure he has a plan to get out of here in case something like this happened.” The soldier tries to think, but time is running out.

“Okay, let's put the rest of the boxes inside, and open the rest of the door... let's move this thing out of here,” he says, then looks at the man that just came with the news.  “Gary!... You have some experience with this... right?”

“Yes sir!... I have a few hours of--”

“Great!... because you’re going to be our pilot now.  With the boxes inside, there’s only space for 4 people.  So it’s going to be me, the pilot, the doctor, and one more person.  The rest of you, find any vehicle that works and get out of the base.  Now you two, go and open the door.” 

 

(In another place with Carlos)

The man that Carlos sent to the window comes down and informs him that there are at least 60 or more infected at the door, so going that way is going to be hard.

Scott comes, too, and informs him that there’s not any way to get out through the roof, so basically the only way out is the front door.  The infected are about to take it down, so they don’t have much time to think about how they’re going to do it. 

“Okay, people, the only way to get out is the front door.  There is a lot of infected out there, and we don’t have much ammo left.  We’re only seven now, and three are wounded, and-” 

“Four!... you are wounded too, remember?” says Wendy, interrupting him.

“Oh, c’mon… mine is not that bad!...”

“Right… are you a doctor?... Carlos, you can barely walk, so how do you think this is going to work?   Maybe we should wait for the others to come and--” Carlos grabs her shoulder and looks her in the eye. 

“I know this is going to be a little hard, but we don't have any other choices.  They are going to break down the door soon, and we need to be ready for that. Just take this and stay behind me, okay?” Carlos moves away and gives a gun to her.  The sound of the infected start to get more louder, as the door was close to be break down. “Okay people, this is it!... we’re going to make a circle around the wounded.  As soon as they enter, we’re going to throw the last smoke grenade we have... run for the door.” They move to their position, and a few moments later, the door starts to break and a few infected start to get inside through the hole.   

“Watch your shots, and make them count... we don't have much ammunition left,” says Carlos while he prepares himself to throw the smoke grenade.  The others point their guns toward the infected, when the sound of shooting can be heard outside. 

“What is that?... are those our fire shots?” asks Wendy from behind Carlos. 

“I think so!... But they could be more Fireflies.” The infected start to get closer, so the group starts to shoot at them.  Carlos throws the smoke grenade at the door and orders the rest to start moving. More shooting and explosions continue outside for a few minutes, so they stop in the middle of the building, as no more infected get in.  The smoke still covers the entrance, so they stay quiet, waiting for whatever is happening outside to end. 

“If those are more Fireflies, we’re not going to have a chance to get out of here,” says Scott, moving close to him.

“Shit!... that’s just great -- now we’re going to fight the infected and the Fireflies too,” says one of the other men there.

“Okay, change of plan... take cover behind those boxes.  We’re going to wait until they take care of the infected, then we’ll take care of whatever Firefly soldiers survived that,” says Carlos.

The shooting stops outside 10 minutes later.  The smoke starts to clear, and everything gets quiet outside.  “Okay, try not to shoot first... let them come in, so that way, they don't know our position.” He looks at Wendy, who is behind him.  “Remember, stay behind me, and don't worry, we’re going to get out of this… I promise.” He smiles at her, then turns to look at the door. 

“What the hell are they waiting for?” says Scott. 

After a moment of silence, someone speaks from outside.  “Hello!... I want to speak to the people that are inside there… are you the ones that came from the town?” says a young voice close to the door.

One of the men inside stands up and yells, “Alan!... is that you?” 

After a moment, the young man answers, “Dad?... is that you?” 

The man moves out of his hiding place and starts walking toward the door.  

“What the hell are you doing?... it could be a trick?” says Scott in a lower voice.

“No!.. he is my son -- he was taken from these people a couple of months ago,” says the man.

“Don't shoot -- we’re coming in,” says the young man, moving through the hole in the door.

He moves between the infected bodies, and as soon as he sees his father, he runs toward him and hugs him.  After that, the rest who are outside start to get in with their guns up, making sure that no one starts to shoot at them.  They are 6 in total, and all look no older than 20. As soon as Carlos sees them, he looks at Wendy. “Do you recognize any of them?”

Wendy looks at them for a few moments.  “Yeah, I know these kids... they were taken by the Fireflies, to work for them.”  As soon as they are all inside, Carlos and his group get up and move to the center of the place.

Carlos moves close to the boy and his father, Wendy, and the others, too. “Did you kill all the infected out there?” asks Carlos as soon as they separate.

The boy looks at him with some curiosity, but answers, “Yeah, the ones in front, but there’s more inside the base, so it’s better to get out of here before more come.  We used all the grenades we have and our guns are almost empty.” 

“What about the Fireflies -- are there any more out there?” asks Scott.

“There’s still some of them out there.  But since a few buildings are burning up, including the main one, and more infected are getting in, they are evacuating the base,” answers the boy. 

“Are there more people from the town here?... did you see my boy?” asks another man.

“No, sorry... we are the only ones left.  Some of us died before all this started. But we need to move now, before more infected get here… c’mon, Dad!”  They start to move out. As soon as they get out, the boy’s group starts to walk toward the humvee that has a M60 on the top.  More explosions and shooting can be heard in the distance. “We have this, but I don't think we’re all going to fit in there,” says the boy, looking at the rest.

“It’s okay, kid, we have a pickup close to here, we just need to get there.  But I still have some of my men and other people in this base. Is there another vehicle we can use?” asks Carlos, moving close to him.  But before the boy can answer, a loud sound can be heard from a place close by. 

“Is that… is that what I think it is?” asks Wendy, looking in the direction of the sound.  Carlos and the others start to move around the building and see what it was. They are surprised to see a helicopter taking off.  

Carlos points his gun in the direction of the helicopter and starts shooting at it.  The others do, too, but even though they make some hits on it, they get away. “What the fuck!... How do they have one of those… not even the military has any helicopters functional,” says Carlos, lowering his weapon.

“They have that for emergencies, probably for the leader to escape if things go bad,” says the boy.

Carlos turns and looks at the boy.  “And you tell us now?...” He starts to move away, still moving slowly because of his wound.  “I need to get to the main building and hope that that motherfucker wasn’t in that thing.” 

Wendy starts following him.  “Do you think he was in there?” she asks, grabbing his arm. 

He stops for a moment and looks at her.  “God!... I hope not, or all this was in vain.” He looks at the group that starts to move in his direction.  “Boy, I need to use the Humvee -- you can take the others to the pickup and get out of here. I’ll follow you after I find the others and finish this.” 

“Carlos, you can’t go there in your condition -- this place is getting crowded with infected, and--” 

“I can’t let that son of bitch get away.  If he escapes, he is going to come back to the town one day, or continue with his crazy experiments.  I need to stop him,” answers Carlos.

“I know, but what if he was in that helicopter, or Owen... You will be risking your life for nothing.” 

“I need to be sure, and anyway, I need to get my men and see if Joel found his girl.”  He looks at Scott and Tank and tells them to take the others to the vehicle. As he starts to walk toward the Humvee, Wendy grabs his arm again. 

“If you go, I’m coming with you.  I’m not going to let you go there alone like this,” she says firmly.

Carlos looks at her.  “I can’t let you do that -- you need to take care of the wounded... Don't worry, I’ll be fine... I promise.  Now go with the others -- I’ll be right behind you as soon--” He stops when he hears some shooting and a vehicle approaching.  “Everyone take cover!” he yells, grabbing Wendy and pulling her behind the Humvee. He points his gun in the direction of the vehicle, but lowers his gun when he sees that the driver is John.  

John stops the jeep in front of the group and looks at them.  “A lot of infected are coming this way. We need to get out of this place now.”  

Carlos and Wendy move close to the jeep and see the three people in there.  “Hey, glad to see you -- wait, where is your son?...” He looks at Joel and the girl that is in his arms.  “So you found your girl?” he asks Joel now. 

“Yes, this is Ellie, but John is right -- we need to get out,” says Joel quickly.

“She is alright?  Because she doesn’t look good... and where are the others?...” he asks desperately.

John answers for him. “She is fine for now.  About the others… Sorry, but they died helping you get to the main building. The other two, too.  But my son is with Angel outside the tunnel, so we need to pick them up,” answers John. 

Carlos lowers his head sadly, then looks at Joel.  “What about Walter... did you see him?... did he manage to escape?”

Joel looks at him and smiles a little.  “You don't need to worry about him. He is not going to bother us anymore.  But Ellie doesn’t look good... they drugged her or something,” says Joel, looking at Wendy.

“Okay, we’re going to take her out of here.”  She moves close to check her. “What about Owen?... he was the doctor in charge… is he dead, too?” asks Wendy while she continues checking on Ellie.

“I didn't see any doctor in there, so I don't know if he is dead or not,” answers Joel.  “But we need to get Ellie back to the town,” says Joel desperately.

“Yea, yeah… I can see that you’re wounded, too,” she says, looking at his shoulder.

More screams can be heard getting closer, so Carlos indicates to the others to move to the vehicles.  “Okay, people, there’s nothing more that we can do here, so let's go.”

After that, all of them get in the vehicle and drive to the north of the base, where the tunnel is.  As they can’t go through the front gate because of the infected from the city are entering the base that way, they open a hole in the fence that surrounds the base, and get out.  They pick up Angel and John’s son, then continue their way toward the town, thinking on how high a price they paid to stop a madman.


	49. The Price that we Pay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the battle with the ex-fireflies group, Joel, Ellie and the others go back to the town. But now a new situation is going to hard for Joel as he have to confront the consequence of Walter ambition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 48 : The Price that we Pay**

 

The group arrives at the town a few hours later.  But even though Walter and most of his men are dead, the base is half destroyed, and filled with infected, the price they paid for that victory was great.  Carlos lost two members of his team, and five men from the town that went with them died, too. The good part was that they rescued John’s kid and Ellie, and Walter and his group were stopped.  Wendy isn’t happy knowing that some of the Fireflies escaped, and with the possibility that Owen was aboard that helicopter. 

As soon as they arrive at the town, they take the wounded directly to the clinic.  Wendy and her assistant start to take care of them. As Carlos has to stay in the clinic too, he tells his team to organize the people in case any surviving Fireflies come to town for revenge.  Of course, Matthew and the people that support him came to the clinic and asked for an explanation of what happened at the base. Wendy made him go away with the promise of giving him a full report of the situation and what happened there.  

Joel takes Ellie to the room he’s been staying in and puts her on the bed.  She is out as soon as they arrive. Wendy checks on her and tells him that she seems fine, but that she’s going to do some tests to be sure.  He knows that those assholes drugged her, and who knows what else they did to her. So her condition starts to worry him, even though she says that Ellie is okay. He never leaves her side, even when Wendy tells him that she needs to take care of his wound. Joel tells her that it’s not bad, and if she wants to treat his wound, she needs to do it there.  He refuses to leave her alone until he knows what’s happening to her. An hour later, Wendy shows up with what she needs to attend his wound. When she opens the door, he is sitting close to the bed, holding her hand. 

“Okay, I really need to get that treated before it gets worse,” says Wendy as soon as she enters the room and puts her things on a small table there.

“Okay...” He lets go of Ellie’s hand and moves his chair close to Wendy.  She tells him to take his shirt off, so he does it.

Wendy notices that he moves his head sometimes to check on Ellie.  “Don't worry, I will do more tests to see what they did to her. I already checked John’s son and he seems fine.  She looks fine, but I’m worried about the bruises on her arms. It seems like they injected a lot or took too many blood samples.  I promise you, that I’m going to find out what they did to both of them.”

Wendy cleans and stitches his wound.  Lucky for him, it is just scratch, so that’s not going to take long to heal.  As soon as she finishes, she tells him to clean himself and change his clothes.  She also tells him that she’s going to send someone to do the same for Ellie, but Joel insists that he can take care of that.  Wendy finds that strange, but doesn’t say anything, and after that, Wendy lets him know that she’s going to come back after she finishes with Carlos’s leg.

Joel goes and cleans himself up and changes clothes.  After that, he does the best he can for Ellie since she is on the bed.  He finds a container and puts water in it, and uses a cloth to clean her.  He changes her clothes too, and he knows that he’ll have to explain that later.  After he finishes, he goes back to sit beside her and watch her sleep. 

Wendy comes back a few hours later with some of the results from some of the tests.  When she enters the room, she sees Joel sitting beside the bed again, but this time, with his head laying on the bed.  Wendy approaches him and puts one hand on his shoulder. As soon as she does, Joel lifts himself quickly and looks at her.  “Sorry I woke you... I know that you need rest, too.”

Joel passes his hand over his eyes to take out the tiredness.  “Ahh, don’t worry, I was just resting my eyes a little,” he says, looking at her again. “Did you find something?”   

Wendy lifts the papers in her hand and looks at them.  “I have the results from some of the tests I did on her. But the others are going to need more time.”  She moves closer to him. “Okay, I found a few different drugs in her system. The more familiar are the one they used on Ellie to relax her... I guess. So we don't need to worry about those. The effect of those drug are going to leave her system in a few hours, so no problem there.  But they are going to make it sleep for the rest of the day. But that is going to be good for her… How old is she?” asks Wendy, looking at Ellie now. “You never told me her age.” 

“She is 19.  She had her birthday a few months ago.”  He looks at Ellie, then back to the doctor. “Why do you ask?”  

“Oh, nothing in particular.  I just want to know her exact age.  I know you said that she is not your daughter, and I don’t want to get into your private life.  But can I ask you... what is she to you?” Wendy asks with curiosity, since Joel talked so much about her, and seeing that she is more adult than she thought. 

Joel turns to look at Ellie, not knowing what to say.  He doesn’t want to talk about what he and Ellie are, but knows that Wendy must suspect that something is going on. “Well, I can say that we’re friends, and she is my life.  We've been together for the last five years. Surviving and taking care of one another,” says Joel, giving her a sad expression. 

“Oh, I see... okay, that is a good relationship.  I’m just happy that you two are back together and that all this is over…”    

“Thank you...” he says, looking now at Ellie.  “So, what about the rest of the tests?” Joel asks her. 

“Well, I can’t find anything wrong with her yet.  Except maybe a little malnutrition, and tiredness.  Nothing that a good meal and rest can’t fix.”

“So she is okay then... they didn’t do anything to her?” asks Joel.

“Well, I did find some other things in her blood that I need to check.  But I don't think it’s anything serious. We can talk with John’s boy and see if he can tell us what happened there.  But it’s better to do that tomorrow and let them rest for today,” she says while moving away.

“Okay, that sound goods to me.  I just hope that everything goes okay.”

Wendy moves toward the door, but stops there.  “Don`t worry, Joel, she is going to be fine, you’ll see.  Now take care of that wound; it’s not much, but you’ve already been shot twice in that arm. I’ll come back later with some food for you.” With that, she leaves the room and closes the door. 

Joel looks at Ellie again, stands up from the chair, and moves close to her.  He passes his hand over her head slowly. He wants to kiss her and hug her, feel her in his arms and make sure that she never leaves his side again.  He loves her, but he is not ready to let people know that. He leans down and kisses her on her forehead, and whispers to her,  _ “Don't worry, kiddo… as long as I live, I’m never going to let anyone hurt you again.  And as soon as you get better, we’ll go back home... I love you.  _

 

( A few hours later)

Joel is still in the chair beside her bed.  It is night now; he feels so tired, but nothing is going to keep him away from Ellie.  He grabs her hand and kisses it, then puts it back on the bed. He lays his forehead on top it, but moves up when he feels someone at the door.   

A boy and his father are standing at the door, looking at him.  “Can we come in-- oh, sorry, I didn’t know that you two were asleep,” says John, a little embarrassed.

“It’s okay, I was just resting my eyes…” He lets go of Ellie’s hand and stands up.  “Yeah, you can come in.”

“Thanks!” John puts his hand on his boy, and starts to walk in.

Jonathan feels sad that he hasn’t had the chance to see Ellie yet.  “It’s okay, son, you can see her, but she is sleeping, so try not to make too much noise.” John lets go of the boy, and he moves quickly to stand beside her bed.

Jonathan touches her hand, then looks at Joel.  “She is okay?... I just want to say hello and thank you, for helping my dad to get us out of there,” says the boy, a little shy.

Joel looks at him. “They said that she is going to be fine.  And I’m glad that you’re okay, too. You don’t need to thank me… your father was the one that did most of the job there.  He even saved me and Ellie at the end.”

“Really!...” he says, looking at his dad proudly.

John looks at his son.  “Was a team effort... everyone did his part, and even though we got out, some people died,” he says with a sad tone.  “But we’re all happy that Elie and you are fine and back with us,” says John, putting his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Yeah, they were bad people... they said that they want to help people in the world.  But they were doing bad things to us, especially to Ellie.” 

Joel looks at the boy wide-eyed. “What kind of bad things did they do to Ellie and you?” Joel asks with a desperate tone.

“They gave us some injections a few times a week, at least to me.  But they went to Ellie’s room almost every day for the past week. And I heard her scream sometimes.  They said that all that was for finding the cure, but the bad man liked it when they hurt us, and he said a lot of lies, too.” Some tears come out of the boy as he starts thinking about all the things they did to them.  He turns around and looks at his father. “They even told me that you were dead, too!” He moves close to his dad and hugs him. He starts to cry in his arms.

“Shh… it's okay, son… I’m here now, okay?  They’re not going to hurt you or anyone else ever,” says John, hugging him back.

“Yeah, the bad man is gone -- your father is right, he is not going to hurt anyone else… you two were so brave, and strong enough to survive,” says Joel, looking back at Ellie, who is still sleeping.   

“Okay then, we just wanted to see how you and your… ummm… girl were doing,” he says, grabbing his son’s shoulder.  “Let's go, son, it’s late and you need the rest, too. You can come back in the morning when she wakes up to say hello, okay?”   

“Okay, Dad,” he says to his father, then turns to look at Joel.  “Is it okay if I come back in the morning to say hello.. Mister?…” he asks Joel, almost pleading.

Joel looks at him, trying not to show the concern he has for Ellie now.  “Sure, kid. You can come back as soon as she wakes up tomorrow. I’m sure she will be happy to know that you are fine, too.”   

“Thank you… for everything,” says John, extending his hand to Joel.

Joel takes his hand and shakes it.  “I’m the one that should be thanking you.  You saved me from that hole, then later saved me and my girl.  I’m just happy that Ellie and your boy are back safe now.” 

“Yeah, I’m glad for that, too… Get a good rest then, man, we all need it... Okay, son, let’s go.”  He turns around, dragging his son with him, and leaves the room. 

“Are we going to sleep here, too?” Joel hears the boy asking his father while they are walking in the corridor. 

Joel closes the door and gets back to the chair beside Ellie, and sits.  He takes her hand again and kisses it.  _ ”The doc said you’re fine, but I know that they did something to you... I just hope that it’s nothing bad.  Because I don't know what I’m going to do without you,”  _ he says in a lower voice, then he puts his head on the bed, close to her.

 

(Next day, in the morning)   

Joel starts to open his eyes as the first sunlight hits the window.  He fell asleep sitting in the chair beside Ellie’s bed, after John and his son left.  He doesn't remember what time it was when he fell asleep. The pain in his shoulder is back, but not as much as before.  He starts to move to get up from the chair when he feels Ellie’s hand squeeze his. He moves close to Ellie and sees her eyes open.  “Ellie!?... Oh God… I thought that... how do you feel, baby?...” asks Joel, looking at her.

Ellie turns her head to follow the familiar voice.  “Joel!?... is it really you… I’m not dreaming again?” she says in a lower and sad voice.

Joel moves his hand and touches her cheek, smiling.  “No, baby… you’re not dreaming… I’m here with you.” Then he leans down and kisses her.  The kiss doesn't last long, but it is long enough to show Ellie that he is real. 

After he kisses her, Ellie’s heart starts to beat faster.  She still isn’t believing that he’s the real Joel, alive, after all the things that happened with the Fireflies.   _ Oh my God, you don't know how much I missed your face, your smile… and your lips,  _ she says to herself, smiling at him. “They told me… that you were dead… and I just--” she starts to say with some tears in her eyes.    __

“Don't need to worry, kiddo, I’m here.  I promised you that I was never going to leave you again... remember?” says Joel, passing one hand over her cheek. 

“Yeah, you did, but you can’t control death… and when I saw you fall in that hole, and you told me goodbye… it was like the whole world ended for me,” she says, trying to hold her tears from falling, but it’s too late to stop them. 

Joel passes his hand over her check and removes her tears with his thumb.  “It’s okay, kiddo… for you, I will hold death back as much as I can. Because not even he is going to take me away from you.” He leans back down again and kisses her again.  But this time he makes it longer. A knock on the door makes him pull himself apart from her. He stands beside Ellie’s bed as he tries to compose himself. 

Ellie giggles a little when she sees him try to pretend that nothing happened.  Ellie moves to a sitting position in the bed. She’s talked to him before about not hiding their feelings and keeping them a secret.  But right now, maybe that’s for the best. “Joel, where are we?... I don't recognize this place.” Joel turns his head to answer her, when the door opens and a familiar figure enters the room.

“Good morning…” Wendy stops when she sees Ellie sitting on the bed.  “Ohhh… you’re awake!... that’s great,” says Wendy, moving closer to the bed. “How do you feel?... I need to know before I check on you.  From your expression, I assume that Joel didn't tell you about us, or this place.”

“Sorry, Doc, but she just woke up and we’re… ummm.” Joel stops before he says something he shouldn't.

“Oh… well, in that case, let me introduce myself.  My name is Wendy and I’m the doctor here.” She stops when she sees Ellie’s eyes open wider.  “Oh, don't worry, I’m not going to do anything to you, believe me. I’m just here to help you.  I think you can ask… Joel about that.” 

Joel holds her hand. “Yeah, you don’t need to be scared in here… these people are good.” 

“I’m so sorry about what they did to you and Jonathan, but I assure you that you’re safe here.  I want to help you, but for that, I need to talk to you about what exactly they did to you.” 

Ellie squeezes Joel’s hand so hard that he feels pain.  “I don’t want to talk about that right now. Can we do that later?” says Ellie with a lower voice.

“Sure, we can do this later.  But to make sure that they didn’t do anything bad to you, I need to know whatever you can tell me.  Now I’m going to do a quick exam, and ask you a few questions, okay?” After that, Wendy starts to check Ellie and ask her a few questions.  She also tells her about the town and what they did to go and rescue her and John’s boy. All that takes about an hour, and after she finishes, Wendy tells them that she is going to send some food for them.  And later, she needs more blood samples from her. Ellie isn’t happy with that part. Wendy goes out and says that she’ll come back later.

After the doctor is gone, Ellie looks at Joel like she is pleading at him.  “Do we have to do that?... I don't want to see another needle for the rest of my life,” she says sadly. 

Joel sits on the edge of the bed and puts his arm around her shoulder. “You don't need to do that now.  But the boy said that they injected you two with something. So the doctor needs to be sure that all that didn’t affect you.  I’m so sorry that I let all that happen to you. I promised that I was going to take care of you, and--” 

Ellie looks up at him and puts one hand on his cheek.  “Joel, no matter what happened, this wasn’t your fault, okay?  You did everything you could, so don’t blame yourself for this.  We’re going to be okay, and in the end, we are back together. I love you, and nothing is going to change that.” Ellie moves close to him and kisses him on the lips, hoping that no one enters the room and interrupts them.

After they separate, Ellie goes back to her previous position, grabbing the hand that Joel has on her shoulder.  “You are always the smart one. I'm happy to have you back again... I don't know what I’d do without you,” Joel says while putting his head on top of hers and closing his eyes.   

They stay like that for a few minutes, enjoying the silence and the embrace with each other. Then Ellie breaks the silence. “Joel!...”

“Ummm…”    

“I'm hungry!... can we eat now?” Ellie says, still with her eyes closed.

Joel lets a little laugh escape his mouth. “Well, Wendy said that she was going to send some food.  But I can go and ask her if we can go to eat at the hall, and eat anything you want.”

“Anything I want?... because I’m really hungry!” she says, opening her eyes and looking at Joel. 

Joel moves his head and looks at her. “Of course… you can eat wha--” he is interrupted by the sound of the door opening.  Both of them look at the door and see John’s boy rushing in. 

He sees Ellie sitting on the bed, and smiles.  “Hey, you’re awake!” he says happily and runs toward the bed.  He stops on the other side. Joel steps away from the bed before the boy just jumps in and gives Ellie a big hug.  

Ellie hugs him back, happy to see him alive.  “Hey, kid, I’m so happy to see that you’re fine, too.”  After they move apart, the boy gets off of the bed and stands to the side. 

“I hope that I’m not interrupting anything.  But your dad told me that it was okay to visit you in the morning.  Hey, and my dad is alive, too!... I know they told us that they were dead, but they were lying,” the boy says, a little excited.

Ellie is smiling at him -- he is such an adorable kid.  “Oh, that’s great, I'm happy for you. I told you that they were bad people.” She looks at Joel, waiting for him to say something, but he doesn’t. “Okay, but you need to know that Joel is not my... dad, he is--” Ellie stops for a moment, trying to think of what to say to the boy.

“Oh yeah… now I remember... He said that he wasn’t your dad when they rescued me from the cell.  But now I'm confused... if he’s not your dad, who is he?” he asks with some curiosity.

“Well… you can say that we’re, friends-- umm… like partners, yeah, partners!... you know, like two people who travel together and do stuff… things like that,” Joel tries to explain to the kid, but he starts to get nervous.

_ Yeah, Joel, we like to do stuff… adult stuff… like kissing, having sex, and killing people.  Yeah, like normal partners do,  _ Ellie says to herself while she smiles at Joel.

“So you two are like Batman and Robin!... or in your case, Batgirl.  I love those comics.”

“Ha, ha, ha… Yeah, you can say that… but we’re not superheroes _.” Or any other kind of heroes, either _ . The last part she says to herself.  But then she tries to imagine Joel in a Batman costume…  _ wow, he could really look good in that, all badass and everything.  And I definitely can be Batgirl, yeah. And go to the batcave and have some fun…  _ she is pulled out of her new fantasy when Joel puts his hand on her shoulder.  But that is something that she wants to try when they get back to Jackson.

“Wow… that’s so cool.  But my dad and your da-- I mean, partner, are like superheroes.  They saved us and killed all those bad guys on the base, too,” the boy says, all excited and happy.

“Jonathan!?... Jonath-- oh, there you are… Jesus, you scared me.  I told you to wait for me. I don’t want you running out there alone,” John says as he enters the room.

“Sorry, Dad, but I really wanted to see if Ellie was okay,” the boy says in a lower voice.

John hugs him; he knows that his boy had a hard time for the past few months.  “It’s okay, son, I know she’s your friend now. I just want to make sure that nothing happens to you again, okay?” The boy nods and hugs his father back. 

Wendy knocks at the door and enters.  “Well, people, I’m glad that you had this small reunion. Some people are going to bring some lunch to the hall, if any of you are hungry,” says Wendy, walking toward Ellie’s bed.

“Are you sure that this is a good idea, Doc?... I know Matthew is giving you crap since we came back, and some people are still scared about what’s going to happen now.”

“John... you and Jonathan were part of this community before all this shit happened.  So don't worry about Matthew or what some people are going to say,” says Wendy, looking at him and his boy. 

“Okay then, we’ll see you in the hall later... c’mon, son,” he says, looking at them and starting to pull his son toward the door.

“Bye, Ellie!... see you soon,” the boy says, smiling at her.  

Ellie says goodbye to him and looks at the doctor.  “Can we can go eat, too? I’m so hungry that I could eat anything,” she says quickly to the doctor.

“Ummm… I don’t recommend that you get out of bed just yet.  But if you two are hungry, I can bring some food for you,” Wendy says, looking at Ellie.  

“Okay, that sounds good.  I just want to know when I will be okay to step out of this bed. Because Joel and I want to go home as soon as we can.” Ellie tries not to sound too desperate to get out of there after they helped them, but she really wants to go back to Jackson as soon as possible.

“Oh, yeah, Joel told me a little about your town.  I bet that you two want to go back there, with your family and friends.  But I recommend that you wait at least two weeks. I still need to do some tests, and you two need to recover your strength.” 

Joel looks at Ellie; he can tell that she doesn’t want to stay here too long.  Not because of these people, but getting continuously examined by a doctor makes her nervous.  Not that he can blame her. “I think we can stay for a while.” 

“Okay, I will send you the food here.  Get some rest, Ellie… you too, Joel.” Then she walks out of the room, leaving them alone there.

Ellie feels sad that she lost everything that was in her backpack.  That was likely inside the base, if they didn’t throw it away. She also lost her mother’s pocket knife.  The only thing she could save was Joel’s watch that she kept on herself all the time, and lucky for her, they didn’t take it away.  She knows that the doctor helped Joel… even wants to help her. And that she is not a bad person, but this place is still too close to those bad memories.  And she doesn’t want to deal with any doctors so soon. 

 

( Two days later, at the hall) 

Some people are in the hall, having some lunch.  The place is a public area for those that can’t cook at home, so some voluntarily go there and make food for people that work in town as a patrol group, the ones on the wall, or other work that keeps them out of the home for longer periods of time.  It’s only for a few days a week, but as the town has new guests, and some people have more guard duties, they do it more often now. 

Joel and Ellie are there at a table with John and his son.  Carlos is sitting with Wendy and his men at another one. Other people are sitting at other tables.  Some are glad about the fight with the Fireflies. Others there are still thinking that they’re going to come back for revenge.  Ellie is a little happy to get out of the clinic. Even though she’s only been there for three days, she is starting to hate it.

“My leg isn’t that bad, so when are you going to let me help my men?” Carlos asks the woman in front of him while drinking some juice.  

“Do I have to remind you that I’m the doctor here?... You are lucky that you didn’t lose movement in the leg.  Besides, I think that you could use the rest,” Wendy says, taking a bite of her food. 

“Don't worry about us, boss.  We can do the job here without you.  And even though a few Fireflies escaped, I don't think they are going to come back here...”

“Yeah, thanks for that -- we owe your men lot.  I mean, the peace we have now is thanks to you and your men.  Sorry that you had to lose some in the process. I know this wasn’t your fight, and I hope that some people here appreciate all that,” she says, moving her hand and putting it on top of Carlos’s, trying to give him some comfort.

Carlos puts his other one on top of hers.  “Thanks, I still need to report all this to the military that are in Chicago.  They need to know what those motherfuckers tried to do. And that some are still out there.  Speaking of that, did you get anything from the kid and the girl?” he asks, moving his hand off of hers and grabbing his juice cup.

“I’m afraid that I have nothing... the only thing they know is that they were trying to make a drug that makes them immune to an infected attack.  But I examined their blood, and I can't find anything. I found something strange in the girl’s blood, but that may be because her immunity is different than others.”

“Well, maybe you can do more studies on her,” he says, taking another bite of the food.

“I can’t do that to her.  I think she’s suffered enough already.  Besides, they are talking about leaving soon.  I don't know if that’s a good idea, but that is their decision.  And if Owen was in that helicopter and got away with his research, it’s going to start all this again,” she says, looking at Ellie at another table.

Joel and the others are talking about some adventures that they had before.  “Ha, I can't believe you did that without a Molotov -- killing a Bloater is hard without one,” says Ellie, looking in John’s direction. 

“Well, it’s the truth,” says John, smiling at her, then he turns to Joel.  “What about you?... After I saw you fight those infected in that hotel, I bet that you killed a lot of them.”  

“Well, I can’t say that I haven’t killed a lot of them, but I don't keep a count for that,” says Joel, taking a sip of his drink. 

“Dad, can I have another plate of food?” asks the boy, breaking the silence that followed John’s question.

“Wow… take it easy, son -- you’re eating like you’re a wolf in a cow ranch.  I just don’t want you getting sick, okay?” He looks at his boy and smiles. “Okay, you can have another one.”   

“It’s okay... Ellie’s been eating like that before all this, so I think it’s okay,” says Joel, trying to change the mood as he sees Ellie look like she’s going to be sick or something.

“Hey…” she says, then she gives Joel a nudge in his side.  After that, she starts to feel bad. She feels some pain in her head, and feels like she is going to throw up.

“Hey, Ellie, are you okay?” asks John when he sees her standing up and moving away from the table.

Joel stands up and moves beside her.  He puts one hand on her shoulder as she bends down like she is going to vomit.  “Ellie, is everything fine?” says Joel with some concern.

“I-- I don’t know… my head hurts, and I feel sick,” says Ellie, looking at him. 

“Shit!... you look so pale… maybe it’s better if the doctor checks on you.” Joel turns to call Wendy when he feels Ellie start trembling in his hands.

Ellie feels the pain in her head get stronger.  “Joel!... what is happening… to… me… AHHHHHH!!!” she screams as the pain becomes intolerable. 

Joel grabs her to keep her up.  “Ellie, what’s wrong… talk to ME!” Another scream of pain gets out of her, and after that, all goes black for her.  “Ellie!... what is wrong… Ellie!...ELLIE!” Joel starts as she goes limp in his hands. 

Wendy gets up from her chair as soon as she hears Ellie scream, and runs to where Joel and Ellie are.  “What happened?” she asks as soon as she kneels beside Joel, who is holding her in his arms. 

“I don't know… she was fine, and a few minutes later, she started to feel pain,” Joel starts to panic.

“Where did she feel the pain?” Wendy asks while checking her pulse, then her eyes. 

“In the head!... She said that she’s been having headaches all morning… What is wrong with her?” Joel asks desperately. 

“I’m not sure, but she is out, and her pulse is getting week.  We need to take her to the clinic, quick.” Wendy stands up as Joel grabs Ellie’s legs and stands up with her in his arms.  They start walking toward the clinic as fast as they can. Some of the others start to follow them.

“C’mon, baby!... just hang in there, the doctor is going help you… just be strong... please.” When they arrive at the clinic, Wendy tells him to put her in the emergency room where she has the appropriate equipment.  After Joel puts her on a bed, he stays close to her and passes his hand over her forehead. Wendy sends for her assistant, then comes to the room and starts to check on her. She connects some of the machines to her. “C’mon, Doc, what happened to her? You said she was fine,” says Joel with a desperate voice.

“I don't know.  She is getting weak, but doesn’t have any fever.  Her pulse is weak, too. I don't know... maybe I missed something… shit, she’s not responding…”   

“What!.. What’s that supposed to mean?” asks Joel, moving close to her. 

“Joel!... I need to work here -- please, you need to get out of the room… NOW!”   

“I ain’t going to leave her alone… not again!”

“There’s nothing you can do in here.  And I need this room clean, so you need to go if you want me to save her,” says Wendy while she continues with Ellie.  Joel was going to protest, but her assistant arrives, moves Joel out of the room, and closes the door. When he arrives in the lobby, John and some of the others are there.

John moves close to him.  “How is she?” he asks quickly. 

“I don't know... the doc is checking her… I don't get it.  She was fine this morning, and the doc hasn’t found anything on her before,” says Joel in a lower voice.

“Don’t worry, she is a strong girl and Wendy is a good doctor… she will take care of her,” John tells him, putting a hand on his shoulder.  They stay in the living room as the time passes, and Joel starts to get desperate, pacing in there and looking at the room. After a few hours, Wendy opens the door and walks out of the room with a sad expression.

Joel stops and moves close to her.  “How is she?” Joel asks quickly, looking for any good news.

Wendy looks him directly in his eyes.  “I don't know what is wrong with her yet.  She isn’t responding to anything I give her.  I did all I could, but she… she fell into a coma,” she says sadly.

“A coma?... but-- but how?  How did all this happen... she was okay, and--” Some tears start to fall from Joel’s eyes as he hears what she is saying.

“The coma will help a little for now.  But we can’t sustain her too long in that condition.  Look, this isn’t over yet. I will do more tests, and see if I missed something, or find something new to help her.” 

“How long could she be like this?”

“Not sure... maybe a few weeks.  But don't lose hope -- she is a strong girl.  I will do all I can to find out what is wrong with her, I promise,” she says, putting one hand on his shoulder.  After that, everyone in there moves close to Wendy and Joel to listen to what happened to Ellie. 

“Can I go to the room and see her?” says Joel with some tears in his eyes.

“Of course.  You can go, but we need to move her later to another room.  I will go to my lab and do some tests on the new blood sample.” With that, she moves away, and Joel starts to walk toward the room with John and his son behind him. 

 

(A few hours later)

The night comes, and the people that are there leave for their homes.  Only John, his son, and Carlos stay in the lobby. They leave Joel in the room with Ellie after a few hours, and let him know that if there’s something they can do, just let them know.  After a while, Wendy sends her assistant to tell them to go home, too. John and his son are staying in their old house, the one they had before they were taken away by the Fireflies. As they still have some of the injured at the clinic, Carlos is staying at Wendy’s house until his leg gets better.  So by now, the only ones who are not a patient in there are just Wendy and her assistant 

Wendy is still in her lab, working on Ellie’s sample.  She is looking through the microscope, revisiting the first one she did on her.  Trying to find out why her brain is not working properly. She suspects that it has something to do with the drugs they gave her.   _ But why just her?... The boy had that, too, and he is fine, _ Wendy is thinking, but she can't understand why, or what they used on her.  As she doesn't know, it’s hard for her to identify the problem.

Joel stays with Ellie after they put her in another room.  He is holding her hand, but feels useless, not knowing what to do to help her.  “C’mon, kiddo, you can do this... after all this, this can't be the end… please… just come back to me,” he whispers to her while he passes his hand over her forehead slowly.  And sometimes he gives her a little kiss on her cheek and hand. Some tears escape him again. But he stays close to the bed until he falls asleep from exhaustion.

 

(The next morning) 

Joel opens his eyes and looks at Ellie, just waiting for all this to be a bad dream.  But he was disappointed when he sees Ellie still in the same condition she was in yesterday.  He puts his head on top of her hand, trying to feel anything from her. He starts to whisper something to her, then kisses her on her forehead.  He can’t stand to see her like that, with some tubes in her mouth to help her breathe. Joel sits back down in the chair when he sees the door open abruptly.  He watches Wendy enter the room with a surprised expression on her face. 

“I think I know why she is like this,” says Wendy as she gets close to Joel.   

He looks at her and stands up from the chair. “What is wrong with her?... what did you find?” he asks quickly. 

“She is pregnant!...”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	50. All we have now is hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Ellie fall into a coma, Dr Wendy is trying to help Ellie. But a little hope can arrive with a unexpected visit?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 49 : All we have now is hope**

  
  
  


“What!... but… wait!... how?... did the Fireflies do this to her?” Joel tries to have his thoughts organized in his mind, but right now it is so difficult to think straight.

“Ellie is pregnant.”  Wendy closes the door and moves close to Joel.  “I don’t know how this happened, but from what I found, the Fireflies didn’t have anything to do with that.  Because she is in her eighth week now, and if I remember right, Ellie was only there for a month. So this must have happened before that.” Wendy is a little surprised at Joel’s expression, but continues. “I saw something yesterday in her urine test, but as it was combined with the drugs they used on her, I couldn’t figure it out before, what it was exactly,” she starts to explain.

Joel turns his head and looks at Ellie in the bed.   _Fuck, 8 weeks, so that means that all this is my fault,_ he tells himself, then looks back at the doctor.  

“Anyway… I’ve been trying to find the cause of her condition, or at least understand how this is happening to her.  So I checked her new blood sample and discovered that she was positive on the pregnancy. I thought at first that maybe the Firefly doctors did something to her.  Like try to make her pregnant for some experimental purposes. But when I checked the timing, I knew that the Fireflies had nothing to do with that. So maybe it can help if we know who the father is.”  She looks at Ellie with concern.

Joel doesn't know what to say to her.  As he knows now how this happened, he can’t go back in time and change things now.  He was careless, and now Ellie is paying the consequence. “I know the answer to that…” He looks at Ellie again with a sad expression, then back to the doctor. “The baby is mine…”

Wendy stares at him, surprised at what Joel just said.  Not that all that is her business, but she is really in shock on how Joel can be with a girl of her age.  “Oh… Ummm… I see.” Wendy moves close to Ellie’s bed and looks at her. “Look, I don’t like to judge, but don’t you think that she is too young?”

“Look, I know that all this can be wrong to you.  How an old man like me can be with a 19-year- old girl… But Ellie and me have a complicated relationship.  We love each other, and even though I didn’t want her to get pregnant, I’m not going to say that all we have is a mistake, or be sorry for that.”  Joel lowers his head at the last part.

Wendy looks at him, not knowing what to say to that.  But she knows that this a new world, and sometimes people do all kinds of things to survive.  “Look, it’s not my business, what you two do, but her health is. From what I see, you two care for each other, more than other people I know.  Besides, she is 19, so officially she is an adult... she can be with whoever she wants.”

“Okay… So you think that her pregnancy is what’s causing this?” asks Joel.

“I’m not sure yet, but I think that it could be possible.  Of course, I need to do more tests so I can be sure. But right now, it’s the best clue we have.”

“So what do we do now… she is going to be okay, right?” Joel looks at Ellie.  He is having the same feeling that he was that day in that hospital in Salt Lake City, when Marlene told him what they were going to do with her.  But he didn't give up then and he is not going to do it now. After a big pause, he looks at the doctor. “Do what you can to save her… If you need anything from me... I will do it,” Joel says quickly.  He starts to think about the child Ellie’s carrying inside. He is hoping that he doesn’t need to choose between Ellie and the baby.

Wendy walks close to him and puts one hand on his shoulder.  “I will do all I can to save them both. I can see that she is a strong girl, and she’s still fighting.  That is good. Now, my friend, you need to eat and rest. There’s nothing more you can do for her right now.  I will tell my assistant to keep an eye on her for awhile.”

“Do you think that I can rest or eat with Ellie being like that?... I will stay here until she wakes up,” says Joel, moving away from her and going to sit in the chair beside Ellie.

Wendy takes a deep breath and moves close to him.  “I understand you... I really do, but getting yourself sick is not going to help her.  We don't know how long this is going to take, so you need to be strong for her.” Joel gives her a look, as he’s not going to change his mind on that. “Okay… stay, I will send someone with some food for you.  If you notice any change in her, just let me know, okay?” After that, she walks out of the room and back to her lab.

 

(A few days later)

“Shit!...” Wendy says while she moves away from the microscope, putting her hands behind the back of her head.  She is getting frustrated, as she doesn't know how to help the girl. The drugs that Owen used on her are killing her, and she doesn't even know why.  She moves forward and puts her hands on her face to scream into them. A moment later, someone knocks at the door. “I said I don’t want to be disturbed, so go away.”  The door opens slowly and she can hear someone enter the room. “Fuck!... I said I don't want t--” she stops when she sees Carlos closing the door with some bag in his hand.

“Oh… Sorry for interrupting, but I bring some food... You need to eat too, you know.  You’ve been like this since this started, and getting yourself tired out is not going to help you.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you… I just… don’t know what to do.”   

“Here, have some coffee, the people that cook in the dining hall sent you this.  They said that they opened a new bag, just for you,” says Carlos, passing her the cup.  “They made some sandwiches... too.”

“Thanks…” she says, taking the cup in her hand and taking a sip.  “Wow... I don't remember the last time they did that. Especially after the Fireflies were taking too much of our food... I feel so special now.”

“Well, I think you are.” He smiles at her while he puts the bag on the table close to her.  “How’s the girl doing?” he asks while he grabs a chair and sits beside her.

“She is not doing good.  Whatever they used on her is killing her, and there’s nothing I can do about it.  She has another complication now, and I need to find out how that is affecting her or she is going to die,” she says with a sad voice.  Then she puts the cup on the table.

“Look, I know that you blame yourself for this.  But you’re not responsible for what those bastards did to her or the kid,” says Carlos, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m in some part responsible.  I worked for them, remember?... I was part of all that,” she says sadly.

“That was a long time ago, when they tried to find a cure.  You never wanted to hurt anybody, like they do now. So don’t feel like you were part of all that, because you’re not.” He squeezes with his hand a little, just to make her look at him.  “I know that you’re an intelligent and incredible woman, and I know that you’re going to find the way to help that girl.” He smiles at her.

“Thank you, you always say some sweet things.  But I just feel so… I don't know.” She looks away from his face.

“Hey!... I know that you’re going to find something.  But you need to rest, too. Maybe after that, you--” he stops when his radio starts to sound.

_Grrrhhh… “Boss, are you there?… over.”_

“Ummm… Yes, Scott, I'm here… is everything okay?” he asks, pressing the button on his radio.

_Grrrhhh… “I got a call saying that some people on horses are approaching the north gate… what are the instructions… over.”_

“Horses?... Okay, call Angel and tell her that I’m on my way.  Also, inform the people on the other gates to keep an eye open.  There could be more.”

“Do you think they are some of the Fireflies?” says Wendy in a lower voice.

“Scott, did they tell you how many they are?... over.”

_Grrrhhh… “just three, boss.”_

“Okay... that could be nothing, or a trick to distract us… just tell the others to be prepared for anything… over and out,” says Carlos, lowering the radio and looking at Wendy.

_Grrrhhh… “Okay, boss… over and out.”_

“You shouldn't go out there yourself... your leg isn’t completely healed yet,” says Wendy, looking at him with a worried expression.

“My leg is fine, don't worry.  I’m not going to do anything stupid.  It’s probably nothing, maybe just some people lost, or looking for a place to stay.  Everything is going to be fine, just finish your food and get some rest -- you need that, too.” He stands up from the chair and walks toward the door.

“Thanks… Dad!... I will keep that in mind,” Wendy says in a teasing way.

 

(one hour later with Joel)

Joel is sitting close to her bed, holding her hand, waiting for a miracle, even if he doesn't believe in them.  He’s barely been sleeping or eating for the last few days. John and his son come a few times to check on them and see how Ellie is doing.  Other people from the town come to the clinic too and ask for them. Joel always tells them that he is fine, and that Ellie is going to make it.  Wendy told him that the chemicals they used on her are messing with her immunity and the baby, and that she is trying to create something that can help her to fight the chemicals that are affecting her.  But sadly, she hasn’t found a way to do that yet.

He talks to Ellie every day, telling her stories about the old days.  She always liked that, even when sometimes she thought that the people back then did stupid things. He’s already missing her laugh, or her jokes, even the dumb ones that she took out from the small book she has. _C`mon, baby, you can't give up now, after all we’ve been through.  I know that this is all my fault... I shouldn’t have tried to hide my feelings from you and gone away to try to protect you.  All this time that I was away from you, it’s been a living hell. I only want to protect you, and the only thing that I did was hurt you.  And now this... I let those bastards do this to you. I should go there as soon as you wake up and kill all those fuckers._

Joel stands up from the chair, leans down toward her, and kisses her on the forehead.  He moves one hand and passes it over Ellie’s belly. _You always were afraid to be alone, but now, even when my time comes, you won't be.  Now you’re going to have someone to keep you company... you will have a family of your own.  But before that comes, we can do it together. I know we didn’t plan this, but I’m glad that it happened.  We can start all over again, just like you wanted... have a family of our own. But you need to wake up, kiddo… please._ He is taken out of his thoughts when he hears some commotion coming from outside the room. 

“Hey, stop right there… you can't enter here like that.  We let you in because you said that you‘re his brother. But we still need proof of that, so wait here until I look for him.”  

“Yeah... but you didn't say that they were injured!... So I need to see them now,” a man says as soon as he gets into the lobby of the clinic.

_“Tommy?”_ says Joel, looking at the door.

 

( 30 minutes earlier)

“Do you have them?” asks Carlos as he stops inside the gate.

“Yeah, boss… I got them covered, no problem,” answers Angel as she gets to her position with her rifle pointing to the three men on their horses outside the gate.

“Okay, open the gate, but keep your eyes open in case this is a trap.” The gate gets opened and Carlos and two more men start to walk out to confront the three men that just arrived at the gate.  

“Hello there!...” Tommy says with his arm up.  “We don't want any trouble here. We’re just looking for two people that maybe came this way.”  Tommy tries to be the most polite person in the world. The last thing he wants is for these people to start shooting at them for the wrong reason.

“Well, mister, we don't want any trouble, either.  But we need to be sure of that. So why don’t you and your friends take your guns out and drop them to the ground.  We don't want any… reason to shoot somebody,” says Carlos, moving a little closer to them while the two men behind him continue pointing their guns at the visitors.  

Tommy turns his head and tells the others to do what they say.  Carl doesn`t like that very much, but Tommy is in charge, and it’s better to play nice for now.  Besides, they have a back up plan, in case something goes wrong.

After Carlos sees the weapons hit the ground, he looks at Tommy.  “Okay, sir, you said that you’re looking for someone. Can you give me a name or description of them?  We don't have many visitors coming here these days.”

“Well, I don't know if they’re using a different name.  But they’re an old man with a young girl.” Tommy tries to see the expression of the man, to see if he’s hiding something.  But as he sees nothing, he continues. “The man is in his fifties, and has a beard... he also speaks with a Texan accent, and the girl is young, she must be 19 now.  She has a scar on one of her eyebrows and has reddish-brown hair.”

Carlos looks at them as he tries to figure out why they’re looking for them.  He knows that it’s Joel and Ellie, the ones they’re looking for. “Well… I need to check if someone with that description came here... Can I ask why you’re looking for them?”  

“The old man is my brother, and the girl traveling with him, well... she is like my niece.  We’ve been looking for them since last winter,” says Tommy, trying not to reveal too much.

“And do you have any proof of that… I mean that he is your brother?”

Tommy looks at the man with some curiosity.  “So they are here!?... please, just tell me -- I need to find them.  I don't have any proof, but if they are here, you can ask them yourself,” Tommy says, a little desperate.

Carlos looks at Tommy, then at the others.  “Yes, there is someone here close to that description... I will take you to him.  But if he doesn't know who you are, you better have a good explanation for being here.”  He turns and looks at one of the men with him and tells him to pick up the guns, then asks Tommy to get down off the horses and follow him.  “Angel, you’re in charge, I will call you if everything is okay. But if the others try anything, you know what to do.”

Carl starts to protest about Tommy going inside alone, but he tells him to stay put, and that he is going to be fine.  So Tommy follows the man into town, and hopes for the best. _I just hope that I’m right about this or Maria is going to kill me,_ he tells himself as soon as he gets inside. 

 

(Back to the clinic)

Joel recognizes the voice of his brother.  But how… how can he be here -- how did he find him? Joel stands up, walks to the door, and leaves the room.  As soon as he gets to the lobby, he sees Tommy there arguing with Carlos.

“Tommy!?” says Joel, surprised.

Tommy turns and sees Joel standing there.  “Joel... is it you!?” Tommy is really surprised to see his brother alive.  After he left Jackson to search for Ellie, he thought that Joel was dead.

“Tommy… how did you find us?” Joel asks, still a little in shock that his brother is standing there.

Tommy moves close to him. “Damn, bro, we thought you were dead.  But after Ellie didn’t come back with Dylan, we were hoping that she found you and was with you… Shit, it’s good to see you alive.” Tommy moves toward him and hugs him, while Joel hugs him back.  Even though they always argue, and they have a different opinion of things, they are brothers. They love each other, even when Joel makes it so difficult sometimes. A moment later, they separate.  “Oh, brother, it’s good to see you… ummm… where’s Ellie?... I want to see her, too…” His smile falls when he sees Joel’s expression. “Joel, is something wrong?... She’s with you, right?” Tommy starts to ask, worried.  Joel doesn't know how to start... what he is going to tell his brother. What he is going to say as soon as he finds out that Ellie is pregnant and that the baby is his. A few tears start to escape his eyes as he tries to speak to Tommy.

“Yeah… she is here... She is in one of the rooms back there.  But there’s something you need to know… she-- she... is... sick… and the doctor doesn’t know yet how to help her,” Joel tries to contain his tears from coming out, but he can’t.   

Tommy looks at him, knowing that whatever is happening to Ellie has to be bad.  “Can you take me to her, and tell me what happened?” says Tommy while he puts one arm on his shoulder.   

“Sure... follow me.  I don't know how to start.” Joel leads Tommy toward the room while the rest of the people there stay in the lobby with their mouths wide open.

A moment later, Wendy steps out of her office and looks at the corridor where Joel and a man are walking away.  “Who is that?... did I miss something?” asks Wendy as soon as she walks into the lobby.

“That seems to be Joel’s brother,” says Carlos, moving close to her.  “He is the one that arrived at the gate 30 minutes ago with a few others.  And speaking of that, I have to call Angel to let them in,” says Carlos while he takes his radio out.

“Shit!... he has a brother?... he never mentioned that,” says Wendy, a little surprised.

“Well, he doesn't talk much about himself... right?  So that is not a surprise... Okay, I will go and handle the situation with the others before people start to panic.”  Carlos starts to walk out, but stops. “Do you want me to bring them here, too?” says Carlos, looking at her.

“Oh, not for now.  I don’t want more people here, if we don’t have to.  Just take them to the hall and see that they’re eating and resting.  I will give the brothers a little time alone with Ellie before I get in there and talk to them,” says Wendy, looking at him.

“Okay, see you later then.” After that, he walks out of the clinic and calls Angel on the radio.  

As soon as Tommy and Joel enter the room, he sees Ellie laying on a bed, connected to a few machines.  He asks Joel what happened to her and how they ended up in this town. Joel starts to tell him the whole story of what happened after Ellie found him at the cabin.  He tells him just what he needs to know for now. Not telling him about Ellie and him, or the baby.

Tommy listens to him while he looks at Ellie and feels sorry for her.  He looks at Joel, surprised when he gets to the part when he almost died and Ellie was taken by the Fireflies.  He tells him about the Firefly leader that was the same one who told Tommy he was after Ellie. He also tells him how the doctor and others here helped him to recover and get her back.  But by the time they went and rescued her, the Firefly doctors had done something that is making sick now. Joel needs to tell his brother about Ellie’s pregnancy, but that can wait for later.

Tommy feels sad about all this, not only for Ellie but for Joel, too.  He knows how much Joel loves her, and seeing her like that has to break his heart.  He wishes that he’d found them sooner, but they couldn’t go out until the winter was over.  But now they need to concentrate on what they can do to save her. Tommy turns and looks at Joel; he’s still lost in his mind.  “Ummm… The doctor here told you what is wrong with her?” Tommy asks with a calm voice.

“She said that it’s something to do with the drugs they gave her… and-- and a complication with another condition she... has,” Joel tries to explain without revealing the whole truth.  

“Other condition?... you mean her immunity?” Tommy asks curiously.

“Well, yeah… it has to do with that, too,” says Joel, moving away from him.

Tommy looks at him, trying to figure out what Joel is not telling him, as he knows that Joel is holding back something.  Maria told him before he left Jackson that she had a suspicion that something was going on with Ellie and Joel. “So she is looking for a cure?... or another way to help her?” Tommy asks, looking back at Ellie.

“Not yet… she said that she’s trying to come up with something to stop the reaction of the drugs, but so far, nothing... Fuck!... bro, this is all my fault… If I had just stayed in Jackson with her and didn’t try to find this guy, none of this would’ve happened,” he says, looking at Ellie.

Tommy moves close to him and puts a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, big brother... she is a strong girl... a fighter.  I am sure that she’s going to make it. Ellie’s never going to give up -- she learned that from you,” he says with a little smile on his face.  “Maybe we can go and talk to the doctor and see if there’s something we can do to help,” says Tommy, squeezing his shoulder. But before they walk out of the room, the door opens and Wendy comes in.

“Sorry for interrupting, but I need to talk to Joel,” she says, moving close to them.  “Hi, my name is Wendy, and I am the doctor here.” She extends her hand to Tommy and he takes it.  “They told me that you’re his brother. He never speaks of any family, but it’s good to know that he has one.”

After Tommy lets go of her hand, he looks at his brother.  “Yeah, I don’t think he talks much about himself to strangers.  But it’s nice to meet you, Doc. He told me about what the Fireflies did to Ellie... so did you find anything that can help her?” asks Tommy, looking at her.

“Well, I came here to talk to Joel about new information I have.  And I think that I might have found something that can help her.”

Joel opens his eyes wider at the sound of hope.  “So you found a way to cure her?” asks Joel, moving close to Wendy.

“Well, not exactly... But as I studied her pregnancy condition, I think that--” she stops as soon as she sees Tommy’s face.  

Tommy is just in shock to hear that.  “Wait a minute… what do you mean by her pregnancy?...” He turns and looks at Joel.  “Ellie is pregnant?”

Joel doesn't know what to say, and he doesn’t really want to have this conversation right now -- and in front of Wendy.  “Can we discuss this later... if the doctor found something that can help her, I need to speak with her alone,” says Joel, moving away from Tommy.

“What!... are you fucking kidding me… wait, this is the complication you mentioned earlier?” asks Tommy, grabbing his arm.

Joel yanks his arm away and looks at him. “Tommy, I don't want to discuss this in here.  Ellie’s condition is our priority right now, and--”

“Joel, I don't want to discuss this here, either.  But I think that you should tell me about that, don’t you think?  Ellie is family to us, too, and this is something we need to talk about.  Are the Fireflies responsible for this, too?... or was some--”

Joel moves close to Tommy and looks at his face furiously.  “I already told you that we can talk--”

Wendy moves between them and stops the conversation.  “Sorry to get into this, but this is not the place or the time for this.  Whatever problem you may have between you two, that can wait for later. Like Joel said, Ellie’s life is at risk here, so we need to work on getting her better,” says Wendy with a firm voice.

“Sorry, Doc!” says Joel, moving away from Tommy.

“Okay then, now that you two are calm.  It’s better if you two come with me to my office, so we can talk about what we can do to save Ellie’s life.”  

The three of them leave the room.  Joel doesn’t want to leave Ellie alone, but if this is something that can help her, he needs to.  They walk to Wendy’s little office, and she tells her assistant to take care of the injuries for a while, or if someone sick comes to the clinic.   

As soon they enter, Wendy closes the door.  She moves to her desk and tells the two brothers to sit in the chairs there.  When everyone is sitting, she starts to check some papers before she looks at the two men.  “Okay… this is what I’ve found so far. I already discussed part of this with Joel, but as you’re his brother, I think you should know, too,” Wendy says, looking at the two brothers.

“Okay… So you found something to cure her from the drugs?” asks Joel before she starts to explain.

“No!... without knowing what they used on her, it’s going to be hard to do that.  But I found something that might work... When I talked to them, they told me that they were trying to create a serum that can make the infected not attack a person that has it in their system.”

“But that’s crazy!... why would the Fireflies want to do that?... I thought that they were only looking for a cure,” Tommy says as soon as he hears what Wendy says.

“That’s because they’re some crazy bastards!” Joel answers quickly.

Wendy gives them a look, and when they stop, she continues.  ”Okay, I know that that’s a little crazy. The drug they tried to make is a combination of chemicals that try to mimic the infection that attacks the brain.  I don't know how they did that, but they were using whatever makes a person immune. In this case, Ellie and Jonathan. From what they told me, this wasn’t supposed to affect an immune person.  But in Ellie’s case, her immunity is more rare, as the virus mutated in her brain and body.”

“So the drugs are affecting her.  Is there something you can do to stop that?... you said that the drugs weren’t supposed to hurt her, so why is it killing her?” asks Joel desperately.   

“Well, that’s where her pregnancy comes in.  The drug is affecting her, but her body is trying to protect the fetus from the chemicals.  So in other words, her body is fighting to keep the chemicals from spreading to her entire body and affecting the baby.”

“So the solution is ending the pregnancy?” Joel asks, looking at her sadly.  He doesn’t want to make that decision, but if that saves Ellie’s life, he has to choose.

Wendy looks at Joel, as she knows how difficult that choice can be.  But in this case, he doesn’t have to. “On the contrary -- her pregnancy is the only thing that is keeping her alive.  I’m not sure yet why the virus in her is reacting like that. But terminating her pregnancy now is going to kill them both.”

Joel lowers his head, not knowing what to do or think about all this.  “So you’re telling us that whatever we do, she is going to die? That there’s nothing we can do to save her?” Joel doesn’t want to lose hope, but all this doesn’t look good.

Tommy looks at Joel, then at the doctor.  “So what can you do?... You said earlier that you have something that could work,” asks Tommy, moving a little forward in the chair.

“Yeah, I said that I found something that can work.  I’m not sure if this can work, but if I find the way to duplicate whatever Ellie’s body is producing to protect the baby, maybe that can help her to fight the drug.”

Joel lifts his head and looks at her, just with some tears forming in his eyes.  “And how can you do that?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’m working on it.  Joel, I promise you that I will do all I can to save her.  If only we had other scientists here to help, maybe we could find an answer faster.”

Joel stands up without saying anything.  He walks to the door and opens it, but before he goes out, he turns and looks at the doctor sadly.  “Thank you, Doc, I know you’re doing you best... I just hope that you find the solution before it's too late.”  With that, Joel walks out of the room.

Tommy looks at the door, then he turns to Wendy.  “Okay, I know I’m a little lost here, so maybe you can help me with that.”  

Wendy looks at him with a curious face, but doesn't know what to say to the brother.  “Look, I don't know what is going on between you and your brother... and even though he’s been here for the past month, I don't know much about him... he doesn’t talk much.”    

“Yeah, he’s always like that, since he lost his… anyway, I’m glad that you’re helping... him and Ellie.  But I need to know what is going on here -- I mean with him, the Fireflies, and Ellie…”

“Yeah, I understand that.  Well, you already know about Ellie’s condition.  But the rest, I don’t really know. They’re your family, and what happened between Ellie and him before all this is something you need to discuss with him.”

 

(2 hours later, in Ellie’s room)

After Tommy talks with the doctor, he needs to speak with Carl and the other person that came with him.  After she tells him where to find them, he tells them that Joel is okay, but that Ellie is sick and these people are trying to help her.  He also tells them that he needs to send one back to Jackson to let Maria know that they found them. He doesn't know if it’s a good idea to tell her about Ellie’s condition.  But for now, it’s better if she doesn’t know. After they discuss what they need to do, Carl volunteers himself to go back. Tommy tells them to get some rest, and tomorrow, Carl can take one of the horses and get back to Jackson.  They check the map and know that this town is close to their home, so it’s only going to take a couple of weeks to get back there.

After that, Tommy goes back to the clinic to talk to Joel.  He knows this isn’t the time, but he needs some answers. When he gets back to the room, Joel is sitting close to Ellie, holding one of her hands.  He can see the pain in his face... he’s seen something like this before, when Sarah died in Joel’s arms. But this one is a little different... it’s something else.  Now he understands what Maria tried to tell him, what she saw between Joel and Ellie… love. But not the love that a father has for his daughter... it’s another kind of love.  He can't understand how this happened, how Joel could love a 19-year-old girl that way. He knows that Joel’s done some crazy things in his life, but this is something Tommy never thought he would do.  He knows that Ellie changed his life, somehow… but on the road, something more happened. Ellie opened his heart again, but if she dies, all that is going to end. He needs to talk to his brother about this. And he doesn’t agree with all this too much, but that talk can wait for later.  Joel doesn’t even notice when Tommy moves close to him. “Sorry that she is going through all this, but she’s going to be alright, you can bet on it.”

Joel doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even look at him.  “I know what you’re thinking… how could I do this to her, how sick and what a bastard I am, to want to be with her like this.  I’m not going to make any excuses for this. I know that you think that maybe this is a mistake, or that it’s wrong. I don’t really know how it happened... I didn’t plan this, but it happened.” Joel turns his head and looks at Tommy with tears in his eyes.  “But I love her… I love her with all my heart. She is the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time. I was so lost, so far into the darkness, but Ellie brought me back to the light. Showed me how to laugh again, how to live, how to care for someone else… how to love!” Joel looks back at Ellie.  “Yes, I’m too old for her, I know that, but who can explain love… and we found it in each other.” Joel kisses her hand and puts it back on the bed, and turns to look at his brother again sadly.

“I don't know what to say to this, brother.  Even when this looks so wrong, I don’t know what to say.”   

“Yeah, I know.  Believe me, I did a lot of thinking about all this.  I even chose to leave when all this started, so that way, she could be safe -- not only from the Fireflies, but from me, too.  I thought that she was going to forget me and move on, if I left. That she could have a better life with you and Maria. But I can see now that I was wrong -- she got out of Jackson and came to find me.”  

“Yeah, I know.  She was so miserable and sad after you left.  Maria and I thought that we could help her, keep her safe.  But the only thing she had on her mind was you... she loves you so much.  We didn’t know that it was like this. But I think that Maria saw something in her, and maybe that is why she convinced me to let her go.  But now I see that maybe it was a mistake.”

“Ha -- don't blame yourself for that, bro.  You can’t convince Ellie of anything, I know that from experience.  But I know that all this is my fault. I was supposed to protect her, and now… look at her… she is dying... because of me.”  

“She is alive because of you -- she has a new family because of you.  And she wasn’t alone when she was with you. Yeah, you did some stupid things in your life, but saving her and giving her a home wasn’t one of them…” Tommy moves closer and puts one hand on his shoulder. “She is going to make it, I know it.”  

Joel stands up from the chair and hugs him. “Thanks, bro, and I want to let you know that I’m always going to put her safety first, no matter what.”  

After a minute, they move apart, and Tommy starts to speak again.  “There’s something you need to know. Well, I assume that Ellie mentioned something to you, before all this happened.”  

“You mean about Maria being pregnant?... Yeah, Ellie told me when she found me.  So I assume that you are a father now... sorry I couldn’t give you the congratulations you deserve.  But I am happy for you.”

“Yeah, I’m a father now.  But the good news is that I’m a father of two…” says Tommy, smiling.

“What!... you mean that Maria had twins?... fuck!... that’s great, bro… ” Joel looks back at Ellie and starts to think about the baby that Ellie is carrying… the one that he doesn't know if he’s going to see.  He turns his head to see his brother’s face again. “Sorry, bro… I’m really happy for you... It just...”

“It’s okay, Joel, I understand... I’m so sorry that I brought that up, I just thought that you should know.”

“Yeah, don't worry… how are they?... are they two girls or two boys?” Joel asks, moving close to Ellie’s bed.

“One girl and one boy.” Joel looks at him, surprised.  “The boy’s name is Robert -- that was the name of Maria’s father.  And the girl’s name is Jolene... that’s a little of you and Ellie in there. That was Maria’s idea.  And the best thing is that they were born healthy and strong.”

A few tears fall out of Joel’s eyes again.  But this time from happiness about his brother’s new children.  Even though the circumstances that he’s in aren’t good, he is happy for his brother. “That was a nice thing you and Maria did… Ellie will be happy for that…”  

Tommy moves close to the bed and looks at Ellie again.  “It’s okay, bro, the last thing we lose is hope.”

“Thanks... I guess hope is all we have now.” Tommy puts his hand on his shoulder and looks at Ellie.  They stay like that for a moment when the door opens and Wendy rushes in with some papers in her hand.

“I think that I found a way to help her!”


	51. Take me Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After all that happen to Ellie and Joel a little light of hope can be seen at the end of the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.

**Chapter 50 : Take me Home**

  
  
  


Joel and Tommy look at the woman, surprised, but Joel quickly stands up from the chair and walks toward her.  “Did you find a cure?... but you said a few hours ago that you have nothing yet.”

“It’s not a cure, but I was checking the information I got from the tests I did on Ellie and found something that can help her to fight the drug that is killing her.”

Tommy moves close to her, too.  “So what is it?” he asks desperately.

“Hmmm… how can I explain this…” She starts to walk in the room, checking the paper in her hands again.  “Okay, her body is fighting the drug to protect the baby, so her system is using something in the baby’s DNA to fight back against the drug… Don't ask me how, because I don’t really understand how the immunity works in her body.  But the fact is that the baby is the one keeping her alive.”

“I don't get it.  If the baby is helping her stay alive, but not curing her, how is that information going to help her?” asks Joel.

“Well, the answer to that… is you!” says Wendy, pointing at Joel.

“Me?” answers Joel with his eyes wide open.

“Yes, you!... Because the baby has your DNA.  So we can use whatever is in your DNA to reinforce what the baby is producing to fight the drug.”    

“Okay... that sounds good.  So what do you need to do?... I’ll do whatever it takes to help her, so if you need to take something from me, we can start right now,” says Joel with some hope showing on his face.

“Well… there’s a problem with that.  The only way we can get a good sample for this to work is by obtaining the liquid we need from your spine, and that’s going to be to dangerous for you.”

“Look, I don't care about that.  If you say that this can help her... When can we can start?”

“I can try to do it, but as it’s a complicated operation, it could be lethal for you.  So the better way to do it is to find a surgeon to do it.”

“But that’s going to take time… how much time do you think Ellie has?... and where are we going to find a doctor to do it?” says Joel desperately.

“I can talk to Carlos... he still has some contacts in the military… maybe he can--”

“No!... no military,” says Joel firmly.

“Joel, I know that you don't like them, but maybe--” Tommy starts, but Joel stops him.

“It’s not that... what do you think they are going to do to her when they found out that she’s immune?  They’re going to take her away, and use her as a lab rat to try to find a cure, and I’m not going to let that happen.”

“I see your point... we don't know what they’re going to do after they do the operation.  They’re not as crazy as the Fireflies, but yeah, she could end up in a laboratory for the rest of her life.”

Tommy looks back at Ellie.  “Okay, but what are the options?... it ain’t like we can go to a hospital and look for a doctor that can help us.”

“Wait... what about Wilson?... he’s operated on people before,” says Joel, looking at Tommy.  

“I don't know if he can do that kind of operation…” Tommy looks at the doctor.  “But we can ask him. I was going to send Carl back to Jackson to let Maria and the others know that we found Joel and Ellie.  I can go instead, but getting back there on horse is going to take at least two weeks.”

Wendy looks at Tommy.  “You don't need to go back there on a horse.  I know where Jackson County is, and it’s not far.  I can talk to Carlos and send one of his men with you in one of the vehicles.  That way, it’s just going to take a few hours to get there.”

After that, Wendy goes to talk to Carlos and arrange the transportation to take Tommy back to Jackson.  Tommy convinces Joel to take a break and go to eat something with him and the others in the town hall. When they get there, Joel greets Carl and the other men there.  They give him their support, and wish for Ellie to get well soon. They eat, and talk about what’s happened in Jackson for the last 3 years that he’s been gone.

Tommy tells him about Dylan, and how he arrived almost dead with a woman that he and Ellie saved.  “Yeah, he was a lucky son of a bitch... he was half frozen, and the wound he had was infected. If it wasn't for that woman and the Clayton boys, he’d be dead by now,” says Tommy, taking a sip of his drink.

Joel looks at them as he tries to eat.  Wendy tells him that if he wants to do the operation, he needs to rest more, and eat.  He tries not to think about what these people are going to say when they know about Ellie and him.  But that’s something that can wait for later; his immediate concern is Ellie getting better now. “So he’s fine?” he asks Tommy with some concern.

“Yeah, he survived, but the infection affected part of his nerves, so he can’t walk much.  The doc said that it can be a temporary thing, but he needs time to get well. For now, he stays in his house, and the woman that came with him has been taking care of him.”

“I hope he gets better... he’s a good man… I always liked him like a son,” says Joel, taking another bite of the food.

“Yeah, I think he feels the same -- he even wanted to come.  But of course, he can't. He still feels bad for letting Ellie continue alone.”

The group talks for a little while, and after they finish, they go to rest.  Tommy and the others go to the empty house that Wendy found for them, and Joel goes back to the clinic to be with Ellie.  The next day, Carlos arranges for Scott to take the newcomer back to their town. Tommy decides to go with the other guy and leave Carl in town to keep an eye on Joel and Ellie until he comes back.  Tommy goes to the clinic and tells Joel that he will try to come back with Dr. Wilson by that night or the next morning. Jackson isn’t so far from Pine Hill, so by car, travel won’t take long.

 

(A Day Later)

Joel wakes up beside Ellie’s bed like he’s been doing for the past few days.  But this time, he wakes up at the sound of someone talking loudly outside the room.  He recognizes the voice, and he knows that in a few moments, he is going to be in a lot of trouble.  He kisses Ellie’s hand and puts it back on the bed, but before he stands up, the door opens.

“How could you let this happen to her?” Maria starts as soon as she gets inside the room.  

Joel stands up, waiting for the worst.   _What the hell was Tommy thinking?_ ... _Bringing Maria here wasn’t his best idea,_ Joel says to himself while he looks at Maria, a little scared.  “Hey, it’s nice to see you, too!” says Joel, trying to stay away from her.  A minute later, Tommy enters the room and holds Maria’s shoulder to stop her from moving directly toward Joel and trying to do something to him.  Joel gives Tommy a look that must’ve said ( What the hell were you thinking) -- but he knows that as soon as Tommy told Maria about them and Ellie’s condition, there was no way she would stay in Jackson.  Joel is only hoping that this doesn’t get bad.

Maria tries to calm down.  Tommy already talked to her about Ellie and Joel, and told her that they can talk about that later.  Even though Maria wants to give Joel a piece of her mind, she doesn’t want to do this here and now. So Maria moves close to Ellie, on the other side of the bed, trying not to look at Joel too much.  “Oh, my sweet girl… I`m so sorry... I shouldn’t have let you go out after him…” She leans down and kisses her on the forehead. Joel stays beside the bed on the other side without moving or saying anything.

Tommy moves closer to Joel, giving him an apologetic gesture.   _“I had to talk to her and tell her. After that, she insisted on coming.  Even after I tried to convince her that it was better if she stayed with the babies,”_ Tommy whispers in Joel’s ear when Maria is distracted with Ellie.

“Did you talk to Wilson?... Do you know if he can do the operation?” asks Joel in a lower voice, trying to get to the point and not piss off Maria... well, more than she already is.

Maria moves away from Ellie a little and looks at Joel with furious eyes.  “Yes!... we brought Dr. Wilson. He is now talking with the doctor woman in charge here.  So I suggest that we all go there and see what we can do to help Ellie.” She starts to move toward the door, but continues glaring daggers at Joel.

Joel starts to move behind his brother.  The last thing he wants is a full-on confrontation with Maria.  “Look, I don't know what my brother told you. But I can guarantee you that I never wanted this to happen.  You know how much I love--” He stops when he sees Maria’s expression.

Maria turns and looks at him.  “Look, I didn’t come here to discuss what’s going on with you and Ellie.  I love Ellie like she’s a daughter to me. She became part of this family the day you brought her to Jackson with you.  I know that you love her… well, not like that, but I can see that all that changed.” Maria moves close to him, but Tommy stays between the two.  “Oh… don’t worry, Tommy, I promised you that I’m not going to make a show here. But we need to talk about all this later. I just came here to make sure that we do all we can to make Ellie better,” says Maria, looking at both of them.

“Well, that’s fine with me.  So let’s see what Dr. Wilson can do to help,” says Joel behind Tommy.  He doesn’t know why, but that woman scares the shit out of him sometimes.  The three of them move out of the room and walk to the lobby. When they arrive there, Wendy and Wilson are already talking, so the three of them just approach them slowly.  

“So... what you said… do you think it’s going to work, or not?” asks Joel, looking at Wendy more  than Dr. Wilson.

Both of them turn, but Wendy answers first.  “I just talked with Dr. Wilson here, and told him all I have so far.  We still need to discuss a few things, and he needs to check on Ellie, but we have a high possibility that it could work.”  

Dr. Wilson moves close to Joel and extends his hand.  “It’s good to see you again. I wish it was under better circumstances.” Joel takes his hand and shakes it.

“Yeah, it’s good to see you, too, Doc, and thank you for coming here to help us.”

“Of course… it’s no problem -- I’m happy to help any time I can.  I can’t promise anything, and I need to check Ellie and see the test.  But I can tell you I will do my best.”

“Thanks… I just hope that this works... Ellie is everything to me.  So when can you start?” Joel asks a little desperately.

“She’s important to all of us here.  I can start now, if the doctor here doesn’t have any problem. And after I finish with Ellie, I will talk with the doctor and discuss our options.”  

“Yeah, this is going to take a little time.  So why don’t you three go and have some breakfast in the hall?  I’ll send for you as soon as we finish, okay?” says Wendy.

Maria turns and looks at the two brothers.  “You two can go -- I’ll stay with Ellie for a while.”

“I ain’t hungry... So I’m going to--” Joel starts, but gets interrupted.

“I wasn't asking, Joel,” Maria says with a firm voice.  “Just go with Tommy and eat something.”

Joel is going to protest, but Tommy grabs his arm and pulls him away from Maria.  “C`mon, big brother, we can go back after we eat something… Where’s Grek?... I need to talk with him.” Tommy drags Joel out of the clinic.  As soon as they are outside, Tommy speaks. “Don’t worry about Maria... she’s just pissed. I don't think she’s going to kill you… or anything.  She’s only worried about Ellie,” says Tommy while they’re still walking.

“I’m sure she is, but even though I don't blame her, I will do whatever needs to be done to make sure that Ellie gets out of this okay.  Even though this is going to be wrong for some people, I love her, and that ain’t going to change.”

“I know you will, brother… I know you will.”  They continue walking toward the hall.

After Dr. Wilson finishes with Ellie, Maria goes to Ellie’s room to check on her.  She sits in the chair that Joel was using and starts to look at her sadly. She is a little pissed at Joel, but doesn't know what to do.  She knows that Joel is never going to do anything to hurt her, but she can't stop thinking about all this… and how he’d been having sex with her and got her pregnant.  Yeah, she had her suspicions that something was going on between Joel and Ellie. And when Tommy came back yesterday and told her that he found them, she was so happy for that.  But when he told her about what happened, she felt mad.

There isn’t much that she can do about this, even though this seems wrong; Ellie is an adult now.  But she can't stop thinking how young Ellie is, and being pregnant and sick makes her feel so bad. Her first thought was to go there and kill Joel for doing this to her.  But knowing Ellie, she was probably the one that started all that. But Joel was the adult, so he should’ve stopped all this from the beginning. But now what can they do?... The only thing they can do for now is help Ellie get better and make sure to support her with the new baby coming.  Maria puts one hand on her belly. _Oh Ellie, I wish things were different.  But I know that you’re going to be fine… both of you._ Maria stays in Ellie’s room for a few hours, waiting on what the two doctors can do for her.    

( Next day)  

Joel wakes up in the chair beside Ellie’s bed.  He came back to Ellie’s room a few hours later, after having a long conversation with his brother.  It wasn’t a pleasurable one -- not that he was expecting a good one, but fortunately for him, it wasn't so bad.  Tommy comes to the room early in the morning and tells him that Wilson and Wendy wanted to talk with the three of them.  So Joel follows Tommy to Wendy’s office to discuss how they can help Ellie. When they arrive at the office, Maria and the doctors are there, so they go in and sit.

“Okay, we called you here because you’re Ellie’s family and need to know all the facts, and the risks that all this could have,” says Wendy as soon as Joel and Tommy take a seat in the room.

“Yes, you all need to know the danger of the situation, and the possibility that this won’t work,” starts Dr. Wilson.  “We’ve been studying all the tests and information that Wendy’s been collecting for the last week. We’d probably like to have more time, but Ellie doesn't have that much.  So as we haven’t found exactly what the Firefly doctors used on Ellie, we’re coming to the conclusion that Ellie’s body is using something that the fetus’s DNA producing to fight the chemical that is affecting her body.”

“That is correct.  I wish we had more time, but unfortunately, Ellie is losing the fight, so we need to act soon, before it’s too late.  As the fetus is less than 2 months, whatever it’s been producing to help Ellie isn’t much. As I said before, the baby shares Joel’s DNA, so that’s why we’re going to use Joel to reinforce what the baby is producing,” explains Wendy.

Dr. Wilson stands up from his chair and looks at them.  “Now the operation that we need to do on Joel wasn’t so difficult 30 years ago.  But with the limited technology we have now, it’s more risky to do it.”

“I don't care how risky it is -- if that can help Ellie, I will do it gladly,” says Joel quickly.

“Yeah, we know you say that.  But you should know that even if the operation is successful, that doesn’t mean that what we’re going to do is going to work.  Also, because of your age, there’s a high possibility that you could die in the process,” says Wendy, a little worried.

Joel looks at Maria and Tommy, then at the doctors.  “Yeah, I know the risk in this. But like I said, you do what you need to do to save her.”

Maria and Tommy look at Joel; they are not surprised that Joel will do anything to save Ellie.  But it’s still something hard to hear. Joel is willing to give his life, no matter what. “Joel, are you sure about this?” says Tommy.

“Tommy’s right -- something could go wrong, and if this doesn’t work?…” adds Maria, taking Tommy’s hand in hers.

“Yeah, I know.  But I have the feeling that it’s going to work.  And if I die and she lives, I’ll be happy that I did all I can to make sure that she lives.” He is looking at Tommy and Maria with some hope, then he turns his head and looks at the two doctors.  “So when can we start?”

“Okay then, since we don't need any papers for this, we can start the preparation and do the operation tomorrow morning.  So I’m going to give you a list of things you need to do. Is that okay with you?” asks Wendy while she moves away from her desk.

Joel stands up from his chair and looks at Wendy. “Yeah, that’s good, Doc… thanks.”  

“Don't worry, Joel, I will do my best.  And I have a good feeling too that this is going to work out,” adds Dr. Wilson as he moves close to him.  Joel smiles a little and thanks him before he moves out of the room.

The day goes by as the preparations for the operation start.  During the day, Matthew came and demanded an explanation of why these new people are in town and no one notified him.  He continued complaining about the Fireflies, and that they’re coming back to kill them all. Wendy had to tell Carlos to keep him occupied because Dr. Wilson and her needed to concentrate on the operation.  Tommy and Maria stayed with Joel in Ellie’s room for a time, making sure that everything was okay.

As the next day comes, Dr. Wilson and Wendy have everything ready to start.  A few people come to the clinic to wish them luck in the operation. Tommy and Maria are in the lobby, as are John and his son and a few others.  Wendy asked Carlos to be there too, just in case Matthew decides to show up and try to interfere with them. Joel is on the clinic’s bed, ready to enter the operating room.  But before that, he asks to speak with Tommy and Maria.

“I just want to thank you for all the things you did for Ellie and me,” he starts to tell them.  “I’m really glad that she has the chance to have some kind of normal life. I hope that all this works out at the end.  But if I don't make it, and she does, I want you two to take care of her… and the baby. I know it’s too much to ask, since you already have two to take care of.  I just want to be sure that she’s going to be fine, and doesn't have to do all this alone.”

Tommy moves close to him and grabs one of his hands.  “You don't need to worry about anything, brother. Ellie is part of our family, too.  I know that you’re hard to kill, so I’m pretty sure that you and Ellie are going to be back at Jackson in no time,” says Tommy with some tears forming in his eyes.  

“Thank you, both of you.  I know that it’s been so hard sometimes, and not always making the right decision.  But I’m glad that we worked out a few things in the end. I put a note for Ellie in my backpack, just in case.  Give it to her if something happen to me, okay.”

“Sure, Joel, will do.  Even though I know that we’re not going to have to,” says Maria with a sad

expression.  “Just concentrate on all the good things that are going to be waiting for you.”

“Okay, we need to start,” says Dr. Wilson, moving close to them.

“Yeah, sure,” says Tommy, moving away as Wendy’s assistant starts to move the gurney in to the operating room.  “Don't worry, big brother, everything is going to be okay, you’ll see,” says Tommy as he sees his brother disappear into the room, followed by Wendy and Wilson.

 

( five hours later)

After long and hard processes in the operating room, Wendy comes out.  She takes off her medical hat and gloves. She walks to the living room where the others are sitting, waiting for the news.  Maria and Tommy get up as soon as they see the doctor coming from the corridor. Her expression is normal, so they assume that the operation went well.

“How’d it go?” asks Maria as soon as the doctor gets close to them.

“The operation went well.  Dr. Wilson managed to get the liquid we needed from Joel’s spine, but because of his age, we had some minor complications at the end,” says Wendy calmly.   

“Complications?... what kind of complications?” asks Maria.

“Is he... dead?” asks Tommy sadly.

“No… you don’t need to worry -- he’s fine.  But we had to induce him into a deep sleep just for a few days, so that way, he can recover faster,” she explains.

“So he’s going to be okay?” asks John, moving closer to them.   

“Yeah, he’s going to be fine, just needs a little time to recover, that’s all.  He is a strong man, so I bet that he’ll be up soon. Of course, he’s going to need a few weeks before he can get out of bed, if he doesn’t want any more complications.  But besides that, he is going to be fine,” explains Wendy with a little smile on her face.

“What about Ellie?” asks Jonathan from behind his dad.

Wendy turns and looks at the boy.  “Well, now that the operation went great and we managed to get the liquid from Joel that we needed, Dr. Wilson and I are going to work on that, so we can administer that to Ellie as soon as possible.  So for now, the only thing we can do for them is pray, and hope that all this works as it’s supposed to,” says Wendy, putting a hand on the boy’s head.

Maria and Tommy give her their thanks and tell her that they’re going to wait for Dr. Wilson to come out.  Now the only thing they can do is wait for all this to go well.

 

(One week later)

A week has passed since the operation.  Joel is still sleeping, but Wendy says that he’s okay and that he’s going to wake up any time.  In Ellie’s condition, things are working fine. The little experiment is working, and it’s giving her the chance to fight back the chemicals in her body.  But even though she’s stable, her fight is not over yet.

Maria and Tommy go back to Jackson a few days after the operation to let some people there know about Ellie and Joel’s situation.  Dr. Wilson stays there for the entire week, so that way, he can check on Ellie’s progress, but as soon as she gets better, he needs to go back to Jackson. As they can’t use too much gas for the vehicle, they can't travel back and forth every day.  So Tommy convinces Maria to stay in Jackson with the kids. Tommy goes back to Pine Hill after staying a few days in Jackson. He promised to let Maria know if there’s any change occurring in them.

A few days later, after he came back to the town, Tommy is sleeping in the chair in Joel and Ellie’s room.  He wakes up at the sound of moaning and groaning coming from Joel’s bed. So he gets up from the chair and moves close to him and sees when he tries to open his eyes.

“Hey, welcome back... you’re really hard to kill,” Tommy says as soon as Joel opens his eyes.

“Yeah, I get that a lot… fuck, what the hell did they do to me?” Joel starts to talk with a tired voice.  

“Well, the doctor said that you had some complications on the operating table.  I think it was something about your age,” answers Tommy with a smile.

“Well... I think that I can still fight a bloater…” Joel smiles back.

“Well, I hope that you don’t have to any time soon.  Because you still have a baby to take care of, and a niece and nephew.”

“Shit!... Ellie… what happened to her?... did it work?” Joel starts to ask desperately.

“The doctor said that she is stable, and what they did is helping her.  But for some reason, she doesn't know why Ellie’s not waking up yet. She checked her yesterday and said that the chemical that was in her is almost gone,” he says, looking in Ellie’s direction.

Joel starts to move in the bed, trying to get out.  “Help me up, will you, and take me close to her.”

“Joel!... you’re not recovered yet to get out of bed.  Maybe I can call the doctor and--”

“No!... I’m fine… just help me up… I need to talk to her.”  Tommy starts to help Joel get out of the bed and moves him beside Ellie’s bed, which is next to his.  Tommy moves the chair that he was using and helps Joel to sit. Joel grabs one of Ellie’s hands and kisses it.

“Okay, I’ll leave you two alone for a few minutes, and see if I can find the doctor to let her know that you’re awake.”  Tommy walks toward the door and opens it, but before he leaves, he turns and looks at Joel. “I’m glad that you’re fine, bro… and don't worry, she’s going to be fine, too.”  

“Thanks, Tommy… for everything,” says Joel, looking at him.

“Yeah, no problem… that's what brothers are for.”  With that, Tommy leaves the room and closes the door.

Joel turns his head and looks at Ellie.  She looks so peaceful in the bed, like she’s just sleeping. “C’mon, baby… I know that you can hear me.  And you need to wake up -- you can't surrender now, after all we’ve gone through together.” He grabs one of her hands and kisses it.  “This ain’t the end of the road yet... you, me, and the little one in there still have time to be the family you always wanted… so please, just listen to my voice and come back to me.”  Joel lowers his head and puts it on the bed, touching Ellie’s, as some tears start to fall from his eyes...

… Ellie opens her eyes as soon as she hears someone whispering to her, but she doesn't know where that comes from.  She is sitting in a bed, surrounded by darkness. She can't see any walls, or anything there. But after a few minutes, her eyes start to get used to the darkness. She sees a blurry figure starting to form in front of her.

_“Hi, baby girl, you’re looking like a mess.”_ A familiar voice comes from the blurred figure.

“Joel!... is that you?” Ellie asks the figure.

_“Close, kiddo...”_

She knows that voice very well.  It sounds like Joel, but she knows that it’s not him.  “Oh!.. it’s you. I think that I’ve suffered enough, so why don’t you leave me alone.”

_“That’s funny... Because you know that I can’t do that.  Besides, I thought that you loved this voice.”_

“I love the real one, not yours… besides, I lost, so all this doesn’t matter now, because I can't go back,” says Ellie sadly.

_“Ummm… giving up so easily?.._ . _I thought I knew you better_ …” the blurry figure shakes his head, disappointed.   _“You only lose if you let them win.”_

“They already won… I’m dead… I can feel it.  They did something to me, and I can’t even say goodbye to Joel.  Just look at his face and tell him how much I love him. That he was the only reason that kept me going for the past 5 years.  Let him know how much he made me happy… but now I can see… that all that we fought for comes to an end.”

The blurry figure moves closer to her until it takes Joel’s form in front of her.   _“You can still say all that to me,”_ says the image of Joel with a smile on his face.

“You don't count... And I prefer to talk with the real Joel.  Not to someone who is only in my mind, or whatever this place is.” Ellie turns her head to not look at him, even though all she wants is to see Joel.

_“Ouch… that hurts my feeling, you know.  I thought after all this time we had together, you would appreciate me a little more,”_ he says, laughing a little.

Ellie turns and looks at him.  “Yeah… then you thought wrong… If I’m going to spend the rest of my life here, I’d prefer to do it alone.  Or think about the real Joel, not the annoying version in my head.”

_“Ha, ha, ha... I always knew that you were going to be special.  But I never thought that you were going to be so clueless. How can you be so sure of everything?... You still think that this is the end for you?”_ ... he shakes his head again.  He moves closer and extends his hand to her. _“C`mon, baby girl... There’s something you need to see.”_

“What are you going to show me?... The only thing I want to see is beyond you.  And I know that nothing in here is real,” Ellie says without taking his hand.

_“Ha, just a little scared of what you’re going to see.  C’mon, this is something that is going to change your mind… soooo… why don’t you humor me!”_ he says and gestures again with his hand.

Ellie thinks for a moment, then takes his hand and stands up from the bed.  “I don't see the point of this... And where are we going? There’s nothing here except darkness.”

_“Oh, don't worry about that… Just follow me...”_  As soon as she gets up from the bed, she sees a corridor forming in front of her.  He guides her through that corridor until a light can be seen at the end. They walk for what feels like hours, even though Ellie knows that time is not going to work in here.  After feeling that she’s going to walk forever, she sees the entrance of the room, and as soon as they enter, he disappears.

“What the hell!... where did you go?... why did you bring me to this room and then disappear?” Ellie starts to look around the empty room.  “What is the meaning of this?... there is nothing in this room, so why did you bring me here?”

_“Because there’s something you need to see in here.”_  Ellie hears a woman's voice now.  And in front of her eyes, a woman’s form appears at the center of the room.   _“It’s okay, my sweet angel, you can come closer… I am sorry that I had to use him, but it was the only way to make you understand.”_

“Understand what?... and what do you mean ‘use him’?… Who are you?” says Ellie, moving close to the woman figure.  

_“I am so sorry about this, but I don't have too much time… I just wanted to let you know that I'm so proud of you.”_ The woman smiles and moves close to her.   _“I’m so sorry that I had to leave you.  But when I left you that note, I was hoping that you’d have a better life than mine_ .”   

Ellie looks at the woman more closely now.  “Mom!... is-- is it... really you?” asks Ellie with curiosity, not knowing if all this is true.

_“Yes, my angel… it’s really me,”_ she says with some tears in her eyes.  Ellie just runs to her and hugs her hard, tears falling out of her eyes, too. _“Oh, my little baby… you don't know how long I’ve waited for this… having you in my arms.  I’m so sorry that your life had to be so hard. But because of that, it’s made you stronger.”_

“It’s okay, Mom, it’s all over now… I can have a little peace now and we can be together forever... I miss you so much.”

_“I want that too, my angel… but this has to wait,”_ says the woman, moving Ellie away so she can look her in the eyes.   _“Your journey is not over yet, baby.  There’s a lot of things you need to do. And both of them are going to need you there, too.”_

“Both of them?… I don't understand?” Ellie looks at her with a clueless expression.

_“You will soon, my baby, it’s not too late for you yet… like I said, your journey is not over… look over there... there is someone waiting for you.”_

Ellie looks at the center of the room and sees a little cradle there.  But when she turns again to look at her mom, she is gone. “Mom!... MOM!...” Ellie starts to call her, but stops when she hears a crying baby sound coming from inside the cradle.  Ellie moves quickly toward it and sees a little girl inside. She picks her up and starts to cradle her in her arms. “Hey, little girl, who left you alone in here… are you missing your mommy?” Ellie says to the baby as the little girl starts to giggle at her.   

_“She is beautiful, isn’t she?”_ Her mother appears again beside her, but looking more ghostly now.  

“Who is she?  And why are you showing me this?” asks Ellie while she continues rocking the baby in her arms.

_“Oh, you will know soon enough… But for now, you need to go back.  Your time here is over.”_

“But there’s a lot of things I need to ask you… I don’t know anything about you. I just--”  

_“Sshhh!!!... it’s okay, my angel, we’re going to have time for that, when the time comes.  But for now, they need you… Go, baby, and remember... that I’ll always love you, no matter what.”_ She kisses her on the forehead, and everything starts to disappear.

Ellie looks at the baby for the last time, and kisses her on the forehead.  The girl giggles again and looks at her with a big smile on her face. A smile she recognizes too well.  “Well, I guess that I will see you soon, ummm… goodbye, little one.” After that, all goes black.

“C’mon, kiddo, I know you’re still in there... please, you need to come back…”  

Ellie opens her eyes slowly, and feels someone beside her.  But she knows who it is. Ellie can hear Joel talking to her, so she turns her head and sees Joel crying.  “Joel!” she says in a lower voice.

Joel lifts up his head and looks at her face.  “Ellie!... oh my God… you’re awake…” he grabs her up and hugs her.

“What happened?... how long have I been asleep like this?” Ellie starts to ask, trying to move her hand to hug him back, but she feels too weak to move.  

“You scared the hell out of me this time, kiddo...  you’ve been like this for more than two weeks,” he tells her, laying her down on the bed again.

“Two weeks?... what the hell happened?... And why are you dressed like that?” Her voice is still a little soft.

“Well... that’s a long story.  That I will be happy to tell you as soon as you get better,” says Joel, smiling, and happy to have her back.

Ellie looks at him.  She was missing his face, his smile... it doesn’t even matter if someone enters the room right now -- she just wants to kiss him.  “Joel... I need you to do something for me,” Ellie asks without taking her eyes off of him.

“For you, I will do anything, baby...” answers Joel, smiling at her.

“Well, that’s good to know.  Well, really, it’s two things: first... I want to go home as soon as we can travel again.  And second, but not less important, I want you to kiss me like it’s not going to end.”

Joel looks at her and sees all the love in her eyes.  “Your wish is always my command... baby.” Joel leans down and kisses her on the mouth.  He kisses her like he wants to eat her, and she does the same. It’s so passionate and wanted that they don’t even care if someone comes in and sees them like this.  The kiss goes on for a few minutes; they only stop to get some air. Joel puts his head close to her and closes his eyes. “Oh… Ellie, I love you so much... I can’t imagine the rest of my life without you.”

Ellie grabs his face and makes him look at her.  “I love you too, Joel, and I can’t imagine my life without you, either,” she says, smiling at him.  “Joel!... there is something I need to tell you…”

  



	52. Back where we belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie search has ended, she finally found Joel and after all that happen to them is time to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention.
> 
> A/N: Okay people, this is the chapter before the last one. I just want to thanks all the people that read this story, I just hope that you enjoy it. is been a long ride for me I start this story almost 2 years ago and after I start this one a hurricane hit us and I was with out of power for 5 months. But even that of that I continue with this and finished. I read a lot of story here, and some time people left the stories unfinished, so I tell myself that I never going to do that. I will finish everything I start so don't worry about that. Well I have plan for a third one, but as I not sure if people are going to want that I will left that pending for now and get a little vacation on the TLOU universe. If you want it just LMK and I will try to do it. if that is the case, I will left this story with a open end just in case. Thanks again for read my story, if you like it left a comment, if not you can left one on that too.

**Chapter 51 : Back where we belong**

  
  
  
  


Tommy comes back with Wendy a half hour later.  Both of them get surprised when they see Ellie awake.  Wendy moves quickly and starts to check on her. As both of them are still weak, Wendy tells them that they need more rest to recover.  Joel tells her that they want to go back to Jackson as soon as possible, but Wendy insists that they stay at least two more weeks, so she can monitor Ellie in case she has some side effects.  In the morning, Wendy informs the people who were worried about them that Ellie and Joel woke up and are fine. Wendy tells Carlos to take Tommy to the watchtower and use the radio there to call Jackson.  As soon as Tommy contacts the town, he tells Maria the great news. She tells him that she is going to make the arrangements to go back there with Dr. Wilson as soon as possible. Tommy tells her to bring two extra men with her so they can take the horses back to Jackson with them.  

John and his son come to visit them as soon as they get the news.  Jonathan is so happy to see Ellie well again. That day, Matthew calls for a meeting to discuss the town problem with the supposed Fireflies menace and the new people coming to the town, but that doesn’t go well for him, as the people have started to get more secure with Carlos’s team organizing the security.  Carlos and Wendy explain to the people that after almost a month, there’s no sign of any Fireflies in the area. So at the meeting, people call for a new leader, based on the loss of confidence in Matthew’s leadership. 

Maria arrives the next day, but this time she doesn’t come alone; she brings her two babies with her.  Jenna wants to come, too, but as her son was born with some complications, she needs to stay in Jackson, so she sent a letter with Maria for Ellie.  As soon as they arrive, they go directly to the clinic to see Ellie and Joel. 

Joel is eating a sandwich when he hears the door knocking.  “C`mon in” he says with his mouth full while Ellie is still sleeping on the bed beside him. 

The door opens and Wendy goes inside.  “Good morning -- I see that my assistant brought you breakfast.  It’s good to see you eat again, Joel,” says Wendy, looking at them.  “Ellie still sleeping?” 

“Yeah, she was so tired last night, so I don’t want to wake her up,” says Joel, putting the rest of his breakfast on the table beside the bed. 

“Yeah, that’s good for her.  Okay, this morning, someone who wants to see her arrived... and you too, of course.”  Wendy moves away from the door, and Joel gets the little surprise on who the visitors are.  Tommy and Maria enter the room with their children in their arms. They move close to the bed, where Joel is. 

Maria is the first one to move close to him.  “I wanted the two of you to see them as soon as you woke up, but I see that Ellie is still sleeping, so is everything okay?” asks Maria, looking at Ellie.

“Yeah, she’s just tired... don’t worry, she’ll be up soon.  But try not to tire her out too much; she needs the rest. Okay, I will come back later -- it was a pleasure to see you again, and you have two beautiful babies.”  After she says goodbye to them, Wendy walks out of the room and closes the door. 

Maria looks at her until she is gone, then looks at Joel.  “Okay, we wanted to wait for you two to come back to Jackson, but as Tommy told me that you both need to stay here for 2 more weeks, I decided to bring them here so you finally have the chance to meet your niece and nephew.” Maria is carrying the girl and Tommy the boy.  “I wanted both of you to see them together, but I don’t think that we have to wait until Ellie wakes up.”

Tommy moves closer, so that way, he goes first.  “This is Robert... Robert, this is your Uncle Joel,” Tommy is saying as he passes the baby boy to Joel. 

Joel takes the baby in his arms and smiles.  “Hey, little Robert… How you doing… ummm,” Joel starts as he shifts the baby in his arms.  Thankfully, the time he had to rest helped him with his injured arm. “You’re a cute little thing.  I think you get that from your mom.” 

“Hey!” he is going to say more, but Maria starts to laugh, as she agrees with Joel.   

“Yeah, you’re going to be a good boy, just like your father.  But don’t believe all the things your dad tells you about me, okay?… because half of that is not true.” The baby starts to giggle, and that makes all of them smile.

As soon as Tommy takes the baby back, Maria moves close to him and passes him the girl.  “And this is your niece... her name is Jolene.” 

Joel takes the baby in his arms.  “Jolene?... that ain’t a common name,” says Joel, looking at Tommy and Maria.

“No, we wanted to put a little of you in there.  Don't take this in a bad way, but at first, we thought that you were… you know.  And we wanted to name the girl a little... you know... like you,” says Tommy a little nervously.

Joel smiles at them, then looks at the baby in his arms.  “Yeah, you told me some of that the first time you came. And I feel honored for that, bro.  It’s a little surprising, too, after all the shit I did in my life... thank you.” He starts to play with the baby a little with his finger, and to see her grasp his hand gives him some good memories back.  He starts to remember the first time he held his daughter in his arms. But he snaps out of his thoughts when the girl starts to cry. “Here, I think she is hungry?”

Maria moves close and grabs the baby girl in her arms.  “Yeah, these two eat a lot!”

“I think that it’s Joel’s personality… he has that effect on all the girls he meets in his life.” Everybody turns and sees Ellie on her side, looking at them with a smile.

Everyone in the room starts to laugh.  Maria and Tommy move quickly to the side of her bed with the babies.  Ellie sits up, still a little weak, but not too much to stop her from taking the babies in her hands.  Tommy and Maria introduce the little ones, and start to talk to her and let her know how happy they are to see her awake.   

Tommy and Maria stay in town for a few days.  Maria is happy to give Ellie some company, and give Jenna’s note to Ellie.  She reads it and is happy that Jenna got married and had a boy. She feels a little sad that she wasn’t there like she promised, and that the baby was born a little sick.  She already wants to get better so they can go back to Jackson and see her friend.

  
  


***Two weeks later***

 

 

After Ellie gets better, she and Joel say goodbye to Wendy, John and his son, and a few others.   Wendy tells them that she is going to go to Jackson and visit them to see how she is doing. Wendy talks with Maria and Tommy about opening a new trade route between the two towns. Carlos escorts them back to Jackson, and after a few hours, they finally arrive.  As soon as they enter the town, Maria, Tommy, and a few others are waiting for them. Most of them are friends of Ellie’s, and people that got to know them. There’s still a lot of people that don't know Joel or Ellie, and others just know them by name. But the ones who are there are happy that they are alive and that they came back.   

The first one that moves close to them after Maria and Tommy is Jenna.  Ellie looks at her, happy to finally be there with her. Both of them run into each other until they get into a hug. It’s the longest hug she’s ever given anyone -- except for Joel, of course.  After they separate, Jenna tells her that they have a lot to talk about. She invites Ellie to come to her house to see her son, Jack, and Brad, since he has to stay with the baby. Ellie feels sad about that, but is happy to see her best friend again.  After that, the rest of the people start to hug Ellie, and welcome her. Ellie is happy to see faces that she’s missed since she went out. Jenna’s mom is there too, as are Bob, Carl, Wilson, Rose, and her husband. A few kids and teens that worked with Ellie on the farm, and even Victor and his son, are there.  As Ellie continues greeting and talking with some people, she sees Joel move close to a person in a wheelchair. She doesn't notice at first, but after a moment, notices that the person is Dylan. She smiles at the last person greeting her, and walks toward him. 

“Hey, big brother, it’s good to see that you made it back in one piece,” says Ellie as soon as she gets close to him.

Dylan looks at her and smiles.  “I’m happy too, to see that you and Joel are back.” Ellie kneels in front of him and hugs him.  Tears are falling from both of them. “Ellie, I’m so sorry for what happened to you. I want you to know that I feel so bad that you have--” Ellie stops him by putting her finger on his lips.

“You don't need to apologize... you did all you can to help me out there.  So don’t feel bad for that. I found Joel, and we’re back. Knowing that you and Alice made it back alive makes me happy, too.”

“Thank you…” says Dylan, hugging her again.  Joel moves close and puts a hand on his shoulder.  Both separate again, and wipe away their tears. 

“It’s good to see you, Ellie.  I’m so happy that you came back,” says Alice from behind the chair.

“Thanks… and thank you for saving Dylan and taking care of him.  Tommy told me what you did.”

“Yeah, I’m happy that all went well.  You two saved my life too, so I’m glad that I could return the favor,” says Alice, smiling at them.  

Tommy moves close to them and makes an announcement: he and Maria are going to do a little reunion in his house at night to welcome them.  The dinner is going to be only for close friends, but he says that they are going to do a bigger one next week. After that, people start to go and continue with their day’s work.  Tommy talks to Carlos and Angel and tells them that they can stay for a few days until they make the arrangements for a few supplies to take back to Pine Hill as a gesture for the new trade treaty between the two towns.  After that, he and Maria drag Joel and Ellie to their house to eat and rest. 

On the way to Maria and Tommy’s house, Ellie asks them if she can go with Jenna to her house to see her baby and say hi to Brad.  Ellie tells them that it’s only for a few hours and that she’s going to get back to the house before the reunion starts. After that, Ellie and Jenna walk away from the group.  As soon as Tommy, Maria, and Joel arrive at the house, Tommy tells him that they can stay there for a few days until the maintenance crew finishes with some repairs to their old house.  Joel tells him that if something needs to get fixed, he can do it, but Tommy insists that he rest his arm for a few weeks, even though Joel says that his arm is fine now. 

 

( Later, at Jenna’s house)

As soon as Jenna and Ellie arrive at the house, Ellie is received with a hug from Brad as he tells her how happy he and Jenna are to have her back.  They exchange a few words before Jenna takes Ellie to the baby’s room. As soon as they enter, Brad excuses himself and tells them that he’s going to the kitchen to bring them something to drink, so Ellie moves closer to the cradle and looks at the sleeping baby boy. 

“He looks so beautiful,” says Ellie as she passes her hand over him.  The baby moves at the touch, but stays asleep. “So Dr. Wilson told you what’s wrong with him?” Ellie asks, looking at Jenna now. 

Jenna moves close to her and looks at the baby.  “He’s not sure what it is. He said that it’s a rare disease, but with the medical equipment he has, it’s difficult to know.  The good news is that if we care take care of him, he will be okay.” 

Ellie puts one hand on her shoulder.  “I'm so sorry... I wish things were different, and that your son was born healthy… So how are you and Brad holding up?”  

“We’re fine... we love him and we’re making sure that he has a good life.  The doctor said that maybe it’s only temporary and when he gets older, he’ll get better,” she says sadly. 

“I know that he’s going to be fine.  He has two great parents that are going to do everything for him,” says Ellie, smiling at her.  Some tears start to form in Jenna’s eyes while she moves and hugs Ellie hard. 

“Thank you… Oh, Ellie, I missed you so much.”

“I missed you, too,” Ellie answers back.

After a minute, Jenna moves away.  “Okay, I know we have a lot to talk about.  We have a lot of time later for all the stories and details.  But I need to hear the abridged version now. I want to know what happened to you after you found Joel, and what you did, and what happened with those Firefly people.  Also, Maria told me that you were sick, but she didn’t tell me much.”

“Oh, man… that’s going to be a lot, and I have no idea how to start.” Ellie and Jenna move to the bed in the room and sit.  “But before all that, there’s something I need to tell you.” 

Brad comes back with the drinks and tells them that he is going out to to do a few things, so that way, they can talk in private.  Ellie tells her about the baby, and that Joel and her are together. Jenna is a little surprised, but happy for her. She is the only one that knows about her love for Joel.  They talk for a few hours about a lot of things, but knowing that they need to talk more about all that later. After that, Brad comes back and tells them that the little welcome dinner is going to start in one hour so they need to prepare themselves to go there.  After they arrive at Tommy’s house, the little reunion has started; only the closest friends are there. The welcome dinner lasts for a few hours... they just talk, eat, and drink. After the dinner ends, all the people there go back to their homes. Maria shows Ellie and Joel the new room where they are going to stay for a few days, since the old one that they used before is the baby's room now.  Maria also tells them that they need to talk about their relationship they have now, but that that can wait for later. 

 

***A week Later***

  
  


Things start to get a little normal in Jackson.  Carlos and Angel go back to the Pine Hill town with the compromise of a treaty between the two towns to trade, and other things.  Joel and Ellie come back to their old house after the maintenance crew finishes with the basic repairs on the house. Joel gets a little surprised to see that the house looks the same after he’s been away from Jackson for the last three years.  Of course, it was less for Ellie, but she didn't stay there much after Joel left. 

As they finish looking around, both of them go and sit on their favorite couch that’s still in the living room.  “Well, at last we are home… what a journey, right?” says Ellie, looking at the living room, and the few things they left behind.

Joel puts one arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer to him.  “Yeah…it was,” he says a little sadly. He’s not sorry for the time he spent with Ellie in the cabin, or what they’ve become now.  But he feels a little bad for leaving for so long, and for what happened with the General men and those crazy Fireflies. He knows that all that is going to leave a mark on both of them, but especially on Ellie.  

Ellie rests her head on Joel’s shoulder and smiles a little.  “Maria said that she’s going to send a few food supplies. But we need to get more stuff and food for the house.  Including a few things for the baby.” Ellie puts her hand on her belly and wonders how things are going to be from now on.

Joel looks at her and gives her a kiss on her head.  “Yeah... I know, I have to talk to Tommy so I can start to do some work here... I think that we can use your old room for him, since I don’t think you’re going to use it now.” He smiles at that.

Ellie turns her head and looks at him.  “Her!” she corrects him quickly.

“Ha… and how do you know it’s a girl?” Joel asks, a little amusement in his voice.

Ellie looks at her belly and touches it again.  “I just know… trust me!” Ellie answers with a giggle.

“Okay, if you say so…” He pulls Ellie close to him again.  “We better start to do a few things here. We need to organize the house and make a list of things we’re going to need.  Tommy and Maria want to talk to us, so they invited us to their house for dinner tomorrow night.” 

Ellie moves away from Joel’s embrace to look him in the face. “They want to talk with us already?... Do you think that they’re going to be mad at us?” Ellie asks with a worried expression.

“I ain’t sure what they’re going to say.  But don’t worry about it. I don’t think it’s going to be so bad, and they’re not going to be mad at you.  It’s better to have that conversation as soon as possible.”

“Why do they need to talk about that again?... I thought that they talked to you and they were okay with that.  Anyway, I’m 19 now, so I can be with whoever I want,” says Ellie with a little hard tone at the end. 

Joel hugs her and pulls her close to him.  “Don’t worry about that, kiddo. I think that they only want to get all this clear.  But we need to accept that things are going to be weird here. Even though Tommy and Maria might be okay with us, that doesn’t mean that other Jackson citizens will be.”   

Ellie puts one hand on her belly and looks at it.  It’s not even formed yet, but she already feels their child in there.  “Well, I hope that they’ll be okay with this, and I don’t care much about what people here say.  Because I love you and we’re going to have a baby together. And that makes me the happiest person in this world,” she says with a firm voice.  

Joel moves his hand and grabs her face. “It don’t matter what they say... I love you and our baby.  So don't worry, we’re going to be fine,” says Joel camly, and then he kisses her on the lips.

The kiss is short, but she loves it; she spent so much time without him that the only thing she wants right now is to be with him all the time. “I just hope that when our daughter is born, people don't start to give us crap about her, or us, for loving each other,” says Ellie more calmly. 

“Ha, Ha… You still think that it’s a girl?… Well, I think that it’s a boy.” Joel moves away a little and pokes her side softly just to tease her.

She moves close and pokes him back. “Joel… I’m not kidding… I’m telling you, it’s a girl!... and I already have a name for her.” Ellie moves and sits on his lap, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Besides, no one is going to like a little Joel around here.”

“Oh… is that so...ummm.  And you think they’re going to like a little Ellie.  Yeah, I can see her now, hitting boys and swearing all the time?” says Joel, putting his arm on Ellie’s waist and pulling her close to him.  Then he starts to tickle her.

“Ha, ha,... that’s not fair, Joel… ha, ha…” Ellie starts to laugh so loud that people outside can hear her.  Even though their house is a little apart from the rest of the houses. Ellie tries to grab Joel’s hand to make him stop.  But they continue playing and laughing for a few minutes, until Joel stops tickling her, so Ellie stops giggling. She starts to look into Joel’s eyes. “Oh, Joel... I missed all this so much,” Ellie says before she launches forward into Joel’s lips.

Ellie starts to kiss him like it’s going to be her last time.  Joel kisses her back with the same passion, and after a minute, they move apart just to get some air.  “Oh man... I need this so bad!” says Ellie, looking at him with all her passion. Joel is going to say something, but Ellie leans down again, and starts kissing him again.  But this time, she introduces her tongue to his mouth. 

After a few minutes of that, the heat of passion starts in both of them.  So Joel grabs Ellie’s legs and stands up from the couch. Ellie moves her hands around his neck and crosses her legs behind his back.  Carrying Ellie now is harder for him, as she is not a little girl anymore. But he loves the woman she’s become now, more beautiful and strong. 

Joel continues walking with Ellie in his arms.  He gets to the stairs that take them to the rooms, so with some difficulty, he starts to climb them and continues walking toward their room. “I just hope that the bed’s still in good condition,” says Joel, smiling, while Ellie continues kissing him on the neck. 

Joel opens the door with one hand and keeps the other supporting Ellie.  As soon as they enter the room, Ellie moves her head and looks at the bed.  She is glad that Joel’s bed is still there. She thanks Maria for coming here after the repair crew finished and changing the bed sheets. She looks back at Joel, but not before getting some good memories from there.  “Why do you ask… do you have any plans for that?” Ellie says, teasing him. 

Joel moves closer to the bed.  “I have plenty... but I’m afraid … that you’re going to break it!” says Joel, laying Ellie down slowly on the bed.  Then he lays on top of her, and looks her in the eye. “Are you sure that you’re ready for this… I mean, after all you’ve gone through... and the baby.  Maybe we--” Ellie stops him by grabbing his face with her hands. 

“Joel, I want you to make love to me until I can’t feel my legs.  So stop talking, and fuck me!” 

Joel can't hold back a little laugh as he listens to Ellie’s aggressive talk.  “As you wish… milady!” 

Joel moves down and starts to kiss Ellie’s neck and suck on her ear.  He moves one hand to grabs one of her breasts and starts to massage it slowly.  Ellie starts to moan at the sensation, something she hasn’t felt in a long time.  Yes, they have kissed each other since she woke up, but nothing more.

Joel continues with the kisses, lowering until he gets to her chest.  He moves his hand again until he finds the space between her legs. Ellie spreads her legs a little to give him more space to work his trick.  Joel starts to rub her center with one finger, and even though he’s doing that through her pants, she can feel the heat building up inside her.  

Ellie feels too hot for this to play for too long, even though she loves foreplay with him.  This is something she doesn’t need right now. So she pushes Joel to the side until he’s on his back on the bed.  Ellie moves quickly before he can do anything and sits on top of him. “What are you doing, baby… I thought you’d like--” Ellie puts one finger on his lips to stop him.

“As much as I love that, I need you inside of me… like right now.  You don’t know how much I want to do this. And I almost thought that I was never going to do it again.” Then Ellie grabs her T-shirt on the sides, moves it up over her head, and tosses it to the side.  Then she moves her hand around her back and takes her bra off, too. 

Joel looks at her bare chest, and moves up and starts to kiss her tits.  Ellie moves her head back at the sensation of his mouth on her, and starts to moan again.  After a few minutes, he turns Ellie to the side until her back is on the bed. Then he proceeds to take off his shirt, too. After he finishes, he moves down and starts to unbutton Ellie’s pants while he continues giving her a few kisses on her belly.  He grabs her pants and starts to move them down her legs until she’s completely naked.

Ellie smiles at him as soon as she sees him looking at her with hungry eyes.  She watches how he stands up on the bed and starts to take his pants off, too.  As soon as he finishes, Ellie is looking at him with her eyes wide open. It’s been a long time since Ellie’s seen Joel naked, and even with his age, he still has a good body.  Joel smiles a little when he sees Ellie staring at his manhood that is already hard.

“Do you see something that you like?” says Joel, putting his hand on his side.

Ellie changes her sight to his face and smiles.  “Yes!… I like very much what I see. The problem is that I don’t know why you’re keeping me waiting,” she says in a harsh voice, trying not to laugh at that..

“Oh, I love when you get so pushy with me… I really missed this.” He gets down, and goes between her legs and grabs them.  He spreads them as he moves his head close to her womanhood. He’s already seen that she’s wet, so he moves his mouth and starts to slip his tongue inside her vagina. 

Ellie starts to moan as Joel moves one hand to separate her lips and push his tongue in deeper. Ellie takes one hand and grabs one of her breasts and starts to squeeze it, then moves her other one and grabs Joel’s hair, pulling him closer.  “Ahhhh… fuck… ohhhh… I really missed this.” Ellie starts to get louder after a few minutes of Joel pleasuring her. Joel puts two fingers together and slips them inside her. After a few more minutes, he starts to move them faster while he continues sucking on her.  Ellie arches her back as her orgasm is coming hard. “Ohhh… Joel, I can’t take any more… ohhhh… of this… fuck!!!”

Joel moves away while Ellie starts to get some air, and her body is shaking from her first orgasm in months.  Joel moves up until his face is in front of her, then he kisses her.

After the long kiss, Ellie opens her eyes and looks at him.  “Fuck!... I almost forget how good you are with your hands.”

“Well, I’m glad that you liked it… so maybe we should--” Ellie stops him by kissing him again.

“Joel, I want you to finish this.  I want you to make love to me, because I know that as soon as the baby starts to show, we’re not going to have much time for that.”  

“Are you sure that you’re ready for this?” says Joel with a kind voice.

“Joel, I’ve been ready for this since we came back to Jackson.  We couldn’t do anything at Tommy and Maria’s house. But this is our house, so we can do whatever we want.” 

“Okay... baby… your wish is my command.” Ellie smiles at him, then Joel moves a little to adjust himself.  He grabs his dick and moves it to Ellie’s entrance, then he starts to enter her slowly. As soon as he’s all in, he moves up so his head is close to Ellie’s.

He starts to move back and forth slowly.  Ellie starts to moan again as he continues moving.  She moves her legs and puts them on Joel’s back, so that way, she can be more open for him. Joel starts to kiss her neck, her jaw, her ears, until he gets to her lips. He starts to move faster, and he loves to feel Ellie moan inside his mouth. After a few minutes, Joel moves away from her lips. “Oh… baby, you’re so beautiful. I love you so much,” he says while he continues fucking her.

“Oh… Joel… I love you, too… ahhhh...” Ellie makes a loud moan while she buries her nails in his back.  Ohhhh… Joel, go harder… and… faster… please!” Joel hears her plead and starts to move faster. He moves his head and goes for one of her tits, and starts to suck on her nipple.  As he moves faster, he starts to give her some little bite on there, and that makes Ellie go crazy. “Ohhhh… Fuck!... I’m so close… don’t stop.” 

“I can’t hold it for long, either…” Joel says as he moves up and kisses her on the lips again. “Ohhh, fuck!... baby… I’m coming…” 

Ellie uses her body to grab him tight.  “Don’t pull… it… out… don’t pull it out… Ahhhh... I’m coming, too.”  After a few more thrusts, they both come at the same time. “Ahhhhhh fuck!” 

After a few minutes, Joel pulls out of her and moves to the side as he gasps for air.  Ellie moves toward him and puts her upper self on top of him. She starts to pass her hand over his chest as both of them relax.  “Shit… that was… great!” says Ellie in a lower voice. “I love you.” 

Joel puts one arm around her back and kisses her on the top of her head.  “I love you too, baby.” Both of them stay naked on the bed, enjoying the moment.  Feeling so happy to be together again. 


	53. All we need is someone to love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well the end of the road is here, Ellie and Joel are back to Jackson and the beginning of a new live for them together is started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer : I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog, but all the Oc character are from my invention. Also I don’t own the lyric of the song “Perfect” that I used at the end of this chapter is belong to his author named Ed Sheeran. And if you can listen to that song when you get to that part. I did and was awesome. 
> 
> A/N: Hy well this the end of this story, I hope that you like it, if not well I thank you anyway for read it. :) I want to give a Special thanks to Lumy12 for all the help she give me and support on my stories. Love you girl and thanks. Also I want to give the credit to the author of a beautiful song that I used in this chapter. The song is called ( Perfect by Ed Sheeran ) I find it on youtube and the moment I hear it I love it. So as I want to use a song for Joel at the end I chose this one because it sound great and get close to Joel and Ellie relationship. I have to change a few words of the song to make it more for Joel, but the rest is the original one. If you have the chance to put it on in that part is going to be great. I almost cry myself when I did and write it down that part, is a beautiful song. Well Like I said this is the final chapter, so if you like it or not don’t forget to put it in a comment or review at the end. I really appreciate you opinion thanks. Love you all and thanks for give me the chance to write a story for you.

**Chapter 52 : All we need is someone to love**

 

Joel and Ellie stay all day in the house, organizing and doing other things.  After they wake up late the next day, they decide to stay in bed and rest. As Tommy and Maria’s invitation for dinner is not until 6:00pm, they move out of the bed after 2:00pm to get prepared for the dinner.  Joel goes to the bathroom to take a shower, but Ellie follows him a few minutes later and goes in with him. Ellie loves to have sex with Joel in the shower, and the last time they did that was the day after her birthday.  This is a good chance for that, so she convinces Joel to do it.

A few hours later, they arrive at Maria and Tommy’s house.  As dinner isn’t ready yet, Ellie goes to the kitchen to help Maria.  Joel goes and sits in the living room with Tommy to wait until dinner is ready.  Maria tells them that she took the babies to Cynthia’s house, so she can take care of them for a few hours.  Cynthia has been serving as a babysitter for Maria’s babies for the last three months. After dinner is done, the four of them go and sit at the table and eat.  Few words are spoken during dinner, except for some casual conversation, and Maria lets Ellie know that she is happy that she is back. Ellie asks Maria how the babies are, and how they can take care of the town and be a parent at the same time.  Maria tells her that all is well and that they’re not doing it alone.

After they finish with dinner, Joel starts to think that if they don’t want the babies there for the talk, things don’t look good for them.  After Ellie helps Maria with the dishes, the two women walk to the living room where Tommy and Joel are sitting again. Ellie goes and sits beside Joel on the couch as Maria goes and sits on a loveseat in front of them.  As the awkward silence invades the room, Joel is the one to talk first.

“Okay, I know that the invitation for dinner wasn’t only to pass casual time.  So let's get this over with,” says Joel, looking at them as he takes one of Ellie’s hand in his.

Maria is the first to speak.  “Look, I’m not going to say that we’re very happy with this.  But we know that Ellie is an adult now, so she can make her own choices.  Don’t get us wrong: if you two are happy together, we’re happy for you. You two are part of this family, and we’re going to support you with whatever you need, especially with the baby.  Even with the difference of age you have, I know that you two love each other. And that is good enough for us,” says Maria, looking at them.

“Yeah... Maria is right.  We only want the best for you two.  No matter what, you’re always going to be my brother, and I know that you only want the best for Ellie.  Well, we thought that Ellie was going to be like a niece to us, but I see that destiny has other plans for all of us,” says Tommy softly.

“That’s right, Ellie... you’re always going to be part of this family, as Joel is, no matter what.  And we both wish the best for you two and the baby. We want to let you both know that our door will always be open for you three,” says Maria, taking Tommy’s hand in her own.

Joel and Ellie wait for them to finish before saying anything; Joel is a little surprised at how good they’re taking all this.  “Well, that is so nice of you… thanks. We really appreciate all that you’ve done for us. I know that being older than Ellie is going to be hard to get for some people here. But I want to let you know that I love Ellie with all my heart.  And I’m never going to do anything to hurt her,” says Joel, kissing Ellie’s hand.

“Yeah, and I don’t care what the opinion of other people is going to be.  Because I am 19 and I can love whoever I want. I love Joel, and we’re going to have a baby together and be a family.  I love you guys, and I’m happy to be part of your family, too,” says Ellie, putting her head on Joel’s shoulder and smiling.

“Yeah, you’re right.  You’re an adult, and if this is what you want, we’re okay with that.  But you need to know that some people here are not going to see this in a good way.  I know most of your friends aren’t going to mind, and that others won’t even care,” says Maria.

“But there are some here that are going to see your relationship... as something bad.  Even though there’s no more laws in this world, we still have our own law in here,” Tommy continues.

“But that’s stupid -- I am 19... I’m an adult… And loving Joel is not wrong.  He didn't do anything but love me and take care of me. So I don't see why people are going to be mad about that,” says Ellie, hugging Joel and keeping him close, like someone is going to take him away from her.   

“We understand that, Ellie, and you don't need to worry about that.  We only want people to get used to that. As a leader of this town, we need to deal with all the people that live here.”

“Okay, I lost you there,” says Joel, looking at Tommy.

Maria lets go of Tommy’s hand and leans over.  “We just want to be sure that if someone starts to complain, you let us handle it.  We don’t want any incidents because some people don't like you two being together.”

“Ha… You think that we’re going to do something to someone because they say something bad about us?” asks Ellie, laughing a little.

“Well, you two have done that before -- no offense.  We want to be the only ones to handle any problems… Okay?” says Tommy, a little nervous when he sees Joel’s expression.

Joel looks at both of them.  He is glad that his brother and wife are okay with Ellie and him.  But he’s a little surprised that the only concern they have is that they think that he and Ellie are going to go on a rampage with people who don’t approve of their relationship.  Not that he wouldn’t like to punch someone in the face if they offend Ellie or their child, but he and Ellie want this to work, no matter what some people say or think. “Don’t worry, bro, we’re going to do our best to make this work.”

“That’s great… thanks.  Oh, another thing: to make people go easy on this, it’s better if we do this slowly.  So that way, people can get used to it, okay?” says Tommy, almost as a whisper.

Joel shakes his head as all this is starting to get annoying.  “So you’re telling me that you want us to keep our relationship hidden?”

“Just for a little bit… you know, until we can talk to the people and make them see that there’s nothing wrong with that,” adds Maria.   

He looks at Ellie, waiting for her to be okay with that.  “Okay, we can do that. We’re going to try to do this slowly,” says Ellie, squeezing Joel’s hand.

“Yeah, but you should know that hiding a secret here is going to be hard.  Besides, people are going to ask questions when Ellie’s pregnancy starts to show,” says Joel.

“Yeah, and I don't want people to think that Joel is my dad.  And start to get the wrong idea,” Ellie adds to the conversation.

“Don't worry about that... We can work on this before Ellie starts to show,” says Maria,then looks at the door when she hears a knock.

“Okay, our babies are here,” says Tommy, standing up and walking toward the door.

“Can we stay a little longer?... I want to see the babies,” asks Ellie with a smile.

“Of course you can… both of you,” answers Maria as she stands up, too, to help Tommy.  After that, they stay for a few more hours and have a good time as a big family.

 

***Two months later***

 

It is the beginning of September.  Joel’s birthday is close, but he already told Ellie that he doesn't want any party.  The welcome party was postponed, as Joel and Ellie’s relationship starts to get around the town.  As Tommy and Maria predicted, some people don't agree with the relationship Ellie and Joel have. The most religious ones think that Joel is a pervert that knocked up his supposed daughter… others, that he was too old for her.  Tommy and Maria have to summon a meeting to explain the situation to some people and tell them that Ellie’s not Joel’s daughter and that Ellie is an adult now, and if she wants to be with Joel, it’s her choice.

After that, Tommy announces that they are going to have a celebration on the new treaty between the Pine Hill town and Jackson, and that the representative leaders from there are coming to town.  Tommy and Maria want to give them a welcome reception.

A week later, they arrive at Jackson.  Maria and Tommy go to the gate to welcome them, and are surprised to see the leader is Wendy, the doctor that helped Ellie and Joel.

Maria goes and shakes her hand and welcomes her to Jackson.  “Congratulations on winning the election in your town. I know that you will do good things for them,” says Maria, smiling.

“Thank you... It wasn’t really a competition, since Matthew wasn’t the same after the Fireflies incident, and people lost confidence in him,” Wendy says to her. “I came with some that are helping me with the town.”

Maria moves to greet the others.  Wendy came with Carlos, who is now her chief of security. Also, Scott came with him, as well as John and his son, and two more people who are helping Wendy as council members.

“It’s nice to meet you all, and welcome to Jackson County,” adds Tommy.  “We’ve prepared a little show to welcome you all here. If you follow us, we’ll take you there.”

Maria and Tommy guide them to the main hall, where the little party and show is going to be. Tommy and his crew did a good job in putting things together.  The food, decoration, chairs, music, and even a stage for some talent people to perform tonight. As the 4th of July party was postponed due to Tommy and Mara being busy with the Joel and Ellie situation, they decided to use this one to compensate for that.

Tommy has a whole table for the honored guests that is close to the stage.  As soon as they arrive at the hall, Maria escorts them to the table. A few of the people that help Tommy and Maria run the town are there, so Maria introduces them.  The hall is starting to get full as more people continue to show up when the music starts and the food is served. After half an hour, Joel and Ellie arrive with some of their friends.  Jenna and her husband arrive with their baby at the same time. And as soon as Jonathan sees Ellie, he runs toward her and hugs her. “Hey, kid, I’m so glad that you and your dad came,” says Ellie, hugging him back.   

Wendy stands up from the chair and walks toward them.  “Hey, how do you feel?” she asks.

Ellie moves close to her and hugs her.  “I feel fine... thanks to you,” answers Ellie.

Wendy moves out of the hug and smiles at her.  “Glad to hear that. But you don’t need to thank me -- we all helped, including that little one in there.”  Wendy points to Ellie’s belly. “But if you have any complications, just send me a message… I’ll be happy to help.  Now that we’ve started working on the radio communications network, it’s going to be easier,” says Wendy.

“Thank you, I will… And thanks for all your help.”

“Sure... honey.  That was the least  I could do after what happened to you,” says Wendy sadly.

“Okay, this is a party, so no sad faces tonight,” says Tommy, entering the conversation. After that, all of them go back to the table and sit.  As the party goes on, more people start to show up. Dylan and Alice, Jenna’s mother, Victor and his family , Rose and her husband, Carl, Bob, and a lot of others.   

After two hours of enjoying the party, Maria, Tommy, and Wendy’s delegation go up to the stage.  Maria introduces them to all the people there and informs them of the new trading arrangement between Jackson and Pine Hill.  They talk about the good things that the two towns can accomplish by working together. After the ceremony and speeches end, Tommy informs them that the party is going to continue with some residents doing a talent show, and as some of them are kids, they will start with them.  After that, they move off of the stage and go back to the table, as some of the kids start to show up.

Joel comes back to the table after he gets up and goes for a few drinks for the ladies.  He brings Ellie a juice since she can’t drink any alcohol.

Wendy moves to sit close to Ellie.  “So you’re almost in your fifth month now, right?” she asks.

“Yeah… the pregnancy is making me so tired sometimes.  But thank God that the throwing up stopped last month. I’m so happy for this, and that Joel is helping me a lot,” Ellie says, putting her hand on her belly.

“Oh, that’s great…I’m so happy that all is going well with the baby… If you don’t mind, I still want to get a blood sample from you later.  Just to be sure that everything is fine.”

“Sure… I don't mind.  Dr. Wilson has been checking on me since I came back.  But it’s good to have a second opinion,” answers Ellie, taking a sip from her drink.

Carlos opens a bag that he has and passes something to Wendy.  “Hey, don't forget our little gift.”

“Oh yeah…” Wendy takes the box from Carlos.  “This is a little present for you… we thought that you’d like it,” says Wendy, smiling.

Ellie takes the little box in her hands and looks at her.  “A present?... but my birthday already pas--”

“Just open it!” says Wendy, smiling.

Ellie starts to open the little box, and when she finishes, she is surprised at what she sees.  “Oh my God… where did you find it?” asks Ellie as she takes her mother’s pocket knife in her hands.

“Well, Carlos and the guys went back to the air base a few times to get a few things that the Fireflies left there.  And they found it with other things in a box, in the cell room.”

“Wow… I thought that I lost it… Joel, look!” She turns to look at Joel and shows him the knife.

“Wow, that’s great… kiddo,” he says with a smile.  Then he looks at Wendy and Carlos. “So you guys went back to the base?... with all those infected in there?”   

“Yeah… maybe you’re thinking that it was a crazy idea.  But they have a lot of food and ammo in there that we can use.  So we went there a couple of times to get what we can save.”

“But Joel told me that place was full of infected?... So what did you do with them?” asks Ellie, looking at Carlos now.

“There’s still a lot of them there, but we managed to get in and out without killing them all.  I’m not sure yet how to clean out that place from them. It’s better for now to leave them there, so that way, no one goes inside the base and tries to use it again,” says Carlos.

As the night goes by, they keep talking about other things.  The talent show continues with some of the adults now singing some karaoke.  And after the last pair finishes their song, Claudia moves up on the stage and grabs the microphone.  As she is the one in charge of the talent show, she starts to thank all the people that participated.

“Okay, people, give a good round of applause to this talented couple.” Some people there start to clap their hands, and after a moment, the woman continues.  “Okay, thank you... now we have one last participant who asked to be added at the end of the show. After this last person does his song, the DJ will continue with the regular music.” The woman moves away and talks to a young boy to ask him to bring a chair.  The boy walks out and brings the chair, puts it behind the microphone stand, and goes away. Some people start to murmur, waiting for the person to show up.

“That is strange... I don’t remember that there was going to be someone else after Elizabeth and Mario?” asks Tommy, looking at Maria, but she just smiles at him.  “ _Do you know something I don’t?”_

Ellie starts to look around, and notices that Joel isn’t there.  “Hey, does anyone know where Joel went?” asks Ellie, looking at her friends at the table.  But then some people start to whistle and talk toward the stage.

She sees Joel walking on there with the guitar that she was going to give him for his birthday, before he left Jackson.  Ellie’s mouth is wide open, not knowing why Joel is up there. Joel sits on the chair and puts the guitar on his lap. He starts to adjust the microphone before speaking.

“Hi, my name is Joel Miller… Tommy’s brother.  I know that some of you don’t have any idea who I am.  I don’t blame you, as I ain’t good with people… Anyway.  Ellie and I have been living here for some time now. A lot of things have happened to this town in that time... some good and others bad.  But we all are happy to have a good life here, and I want to thank Maria and my brother for that.”

All the people there stand up and start to applaud and stand up.  After a few minutes, they start to sit again.

“Okay, that was wonderful, now as this is a special day for Jackson, I want to dedicate this song to someone that is sitting here today with all of you.  Someone that I care about and love so much… So, baby… this is for you.” Joel starts to clear his throat and starts moving his fingers on the guitar strings.  The sound of the guitar starts. The people go quiet, and Ellie is in shock, looking at Joel on the stage as he starts to sing.

 

  I found a love, for me

      Darling, just dive right in and follow my lead

      I found a girl, beautiful and sweet

    I never knew you were

     The someone waiting for me

         Because we were just strangers

     When we fell in love

      Not knowing what it was

   I will not give you up, this time

     But darling, just kiss me slow

 Your heart is all I own

And in your eyes you’re holding mine

Baby... I’m dancing in the dark

With you between my arms

Barefoot on the grass

Listening to our favorite song

When you said you look a mess

I whispered underneath my breath

But you heard it, darling

You look perfect tonight

 

  (a solo guitar sound continues)

 

Ellie’s still sitting at the table looking at Joel on the stage, without words.  Tears start forming in her eyes as she continues listening to Joel singing for her, in front of all these people.  Maria is looking at her, smiling, as she knew this was coming. But Tommy and the others have a very surprised expression on their faces.

 

(Joel starts to sing again)

 

I found a woman

Stronger than anyone I know

She shares my dreams

I hope that someday I’ll share hers

I found a love

To carry more than just my secrets

To carry love, to carry children of our own

We were just friends, but we’re so in love

Fighting against all odds

I know we’ll be alright this time

Darling just hold my hand

Be my girl, I’ll be your man

I see my future in your eyes

Baby… I’m dancing in the dark

With you between my arms

Barefoot on the grass

Listening to our favorite song

When I saw you in that dress,

Looking so beautiful

I don’t deserve this

Darling you look perfect tonight

 

(Another solo guitar sound)

 

Some people start to whisper and cheer.  But at Ellie’s table, everyone is silent, looking at Ellie.  She is smiling, but they can see the tears falling down her cheeks now.  But they know that they are tears of happiness. They all look back to the stage as Joel starts to sing again.

 

Baby… I’m dancing in the dark

With you between my arms

Barefoot in the grass

Listening to our favorite song

I have fate faith in what I see

Now I know I have met an angel, in person

And she looks perfect

No, I don't deserve this

But you look perfect... tonight    

 

He continues with the solo guitar for a few moments more, as some people start to whistle and applaud.  Ellie moves up from the chair and goes up to the stage, almost running. As soon as Joel sees her up there, he stands up from the chair, putting the guitar on it, and moving toward her.

Ellie jumps at him and hugs him hard.  Joel does the same. _“I love you so much… thank you,”_  she whispers in his ear.

“I love you too, baby… did you like it?” he says in a lower voice.  They can still hear some people talking and applauding.

She moves a little away and looks him in the eyes.  “Like!... I loved!... upps!... I think she loved it too… Here!” Ellie takes one of Joel’s hands and puts it on her belly; it’s still small, but it can be seen already.

As soon as he puts his hand there, Joel smiles as he feels the baby moving inside.  “Wow… I think he--”

“She!” Ellie clarifies quickly.

“Ha... Okay, what you said?” Joel says, smiling at her.

“Joel!... I’m not kidding… it’s a girl, and her name is going to be Anna… just like my mom.”

“Okay!... well, I hope she approves of what’s coming next,” says Joel, smiling.

“What, you mean… there’s more?” Ellie says with a surprised tone.

“Oh… yeah! and I think you’re going to love this one, too.”  Joel moves away from her and puts one hand in his pants pocket.  He takes out a little bag from it, and kneels in front of her. He takes out what’s inside the bag and shows it to Ellie.  “I know that I’m not the most romantic man in this world. And that a lot of people are going to be shocked about this… but I would be very happy if you’d give me the honor… and marry me?”   

Ellie is speechless -- and not just her.  Some people at the tables have their mouths open.  Including Tommy and some of the others at that table.  Except Maria, who has a smile on her face.

Ellie looks at Joel with some tears in her eyes.  “YES!... yes, yes… oh… Joel, of course I will marry you…” She extends her hand, and Joel grabs it and starts to put the ring on her finger.

“Don’t ask where I got the ring,” says Joel, smiling at her.  They’ve loved each other for so long, that all this makes Ellie so happy.  Ellie’s dream of this so many times, but never expected him to do it, much less in front of all these people.  Joel stands up with a smile on his face. Ellie grabs his face with her two hands and looks him deep in the eyes.  “I love you, Joel… and thank you for making me the happiest woman tonight,” she says with a smile as some tears start to fall again.

Joel puts his hand around Ellie.  “I love you too, kiddo, and thank you for making me be a better man.”  Both of them smile at each other, then Ellie pulls him toward her and kisses him.

And they kiss… and the kiss go longer, just like it's going to be the last thing they will do in this world...

 

**o o O o o**

 

**A/N :** Okay guys this is the end of the story

But before I put the end in here I have a little

Something I want to add after you read all this

I just want to do something fun before this story is really over

So just think, that this is the credits part after a movie ends.

I want to thank you all the people that read this story

This part and  the first one

I think that this one don’t goes so well, as the first one do.  

But some time sequel, not go better than the first one

I’m glad that some people did liked

So I thanks to all the people that read this crazy fic.  

I also want to thanks to the ones that take a little time to review

and comments to the story includes all the guest too.

I know that, some time people don't like to left review  

Or not have the time to do it

But believe me, that mean a lot for us

And it make us feel good to see how people like our stories

Or know that we can do better on the future.

So don’t feel so shy and give a review to a story that you read

That mean a lot for the author.

I also want to thanks to all the people that follow and favor my stories

And I want to give a special thanks to a person

That not only encourage me to do this after I read her stories

And after that we become a good friend.

Also she is the one that is been helping me

With the grammar on the story as my language is not English.

So thank you Lumy12 for be there for me all the way and

Also for review in my stories, and make me go on when I feel to stop.

I want to give a thank to another person that after read

My first fic, loved and give me a review on all the chapter

Of this one so thank you  for all the review and comment

Thank you (Yaoigirl15) for all you support in this story.

Okay... I think this is taking to long. Just like the movies :D  

So thanks again for read this and I hope to see

A Few of you in the next one… thanks you and I love you all.

Now let's go to the end. This is like a extra scene after the credits ends.

 

**o o O o o**

 

***In another place, a week after the attack on the Air base ***

 

Somewhere in Nevada, inside of an old military base, a young man is walking through a corridor with a paper in his hand.  He is walking toward a room where his boss is. But as soon as he gets there, two guards at the door stop him.

“Sorry, kid, but the General doesn’t want to see anyone today,” says one of the guards.   

“You don't understand -- we received a message from the group we sent out last week,” says the young man, with an urgent voice.

“No!  you’re the one that doesn’t understand.  The general is still mourning his daughter’s death.  And also, he is not happy with what we lost in the last battle.  So if you value your life, it’s better if you go back to your post.”

“Yeah, I know.  I was there when he received the news.  But he needs to hear this one… it’s urgent,” says the young man.

The two guards look at each other, then look at the young man.  “Okay, but it’s your funeral.” One of the guards turns and knocks on the door.  “Sir, the communication boy is here… he said that he received a new message from the outside group.  And he thinks that it’s urgent.” After a minute of silence, a voice comes from inside, telling them to let the boy in.

After the guard opens the door, the young man steps inside and the guard closes the door behind him.  He moves slowly toward the desk, where he can see the General looking at some pictures of his daughter.   

As soon as the boy gets close, he puts the picture down and looks at him.  “What is so urgent that you need to come here... What bad news do you bring me today, boy?” he says with a harsh and sad tone.

The boy swallows and moves closer.  “I think you’re going to like this one, sir,” says the boy calmly.

“Unless this news is that you found the person who killed my daughter, or the asshole that was supposed to protect her, I’m not interested right now,” says the general, putting his daughter’s picture on top of his desk.

“But sir... our team reported that they found a helicopter crash on the way here.  That looked like it was recently.” He moves closer and passes the paper to him.

The general takes the paper from his hand and starts to read it.  “A helicopter?... flying?... I haven't seen that in a long time… but even though that’s rare, why would I be interested in it?”  he says without looking at the boy.

“But they said that there was 4 men in there and that one of them is alive.”

“Alive?... did he say something?... like who they were or how they found a helicopter?”

“Well, they said that the man was very injured.  But before he lost consciousness, he said that he was an ex-Firefly doctor… and that he found the cure for the virus.”

“Really?…” the man says with a disbelieving tone.  “Those assholes have been looking for that for years.  So you’re telling me that this man found it?... Did he say his name?” asks the general, looking at the boy with an intense glare.

“He said that his name is... Owen.”

 

**The End…?**

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading my story, I was going to do a third part but that is going to be after you. So if you want it just LMK. But for now I will take a little vacation after I finish my other story, thank you all.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope, that you like this story too, as I still a new of this I like to see the opinion of people that read my stories. So if you like the story or not left a comment or review to LMK, I will always appreciate those, thanks. If you have any question, please be free to send me a pm or put them on the review. Remember that English is not my language, so I will try to do my best to answer them, the best I can, thanks.


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